Forgotten Embers
by Kraven Ergeist
Summary: RE-UPLOADED - 7 years after the events of OLS, Jim has made it on his own for the past while, when he meets someone he hasn't seen in a long time. Jim x Aisha.
1. Chapter 1

**Outlaw Star Fan Fiction**

**Forgotten Embers**

By Kraven Ergeist

A/N: Well, this is my shot at a Jim x Aisha fan fic. Enjoy.

Chapter One

Aisha Clan-Clan was not doing well. After fleeing authorities from planet to planet, she had finally found a relatively safe haven on Stratus, a class 5 planet. There, she took whatever odd jobs she could find to make ends meet. It was not a life suited for a proud C'tarl-C'tarl, but she had little choice.

But being a C'tarl-C'tarl, she was prone to excitement and violence, which, in turn, led to more problems with the authorities. By the end of the week, she was already on the run, with a 1000 wong price on her head, and bounty hunters on her trail.

Our story begins with this particular C'tarl-C'tarl on the run from just such a bounty hunter. He was good, she had to admit; she had managed to elude most of the hunters who had come after her without a confrontation, but this one was persistent. It was almost as if he had tracked C'tarl-C'tarl before.

She was being chased through hidden alleyways. It was the dead of night, the streets were empty, and the shadows provided her ample area in which to hide. But somehow, the hunter persisted, finding a way to discover exactly where she was hiding. Before long, she felt her pursuer catch on, and begin to strategize his movement. She suddenly began to feel like she was being led in a particular direction. Before she had even realized it, she hit a dead end. The walls were too high even for a C'tarl-C'tarl to jump, and her enemy was approaching fast.

Aisha turned in time to see him come into view. He was on a motorcycle, stopping it in front of her with his headlights blazing in her direction. Blinded by the intense light, Aisha covered her face. The bounty hunter parked a good distance in front of her, leaving his headlights on, and leapt off his vehicle. He began slowly approaching, knowing that he had the cat cornered.

But a cornered beast is more dangerous than anything.

In an instant, she attacked the hunter, lashing out at him with everything she had. The hunter made no retaliation; he just focused his attention on dodging. Aisha couldn't make out his face beneath the helmet. Not that it made a difference to her. He was just another puny Terran. What did it matter to a proud C'tarl-C'tarl if a human should be the one to die?

In a swift finishing move, she had him pinned to the ground.

Instantly, he drew a handgun and pointed it at her chin.

"Don't move," he hissed. "These are armor-piercing shells – they'll cut through C'tarl flesh like tinfoil."

Aisha blinked.

_That voice…_

"Jim?" she mouthed, unable to believe it.

"What?" the bounty hunter started. "How do you know my… Wait a minute…you look famil… Oh my God! Aisha!"

Instantly, the cat girl leapt off the boy, staring hard. "Jim! Is it really you! I never thought I'd see you again!"

The boy, now eighteen years old, got to his feet, removed his helmet, and returned Aisha's familiar smile. "Aisha… I can't believe it! Of all the places to have run into you! Wow!"

Aisha smiled, stepping closer, putting her hands on his shoulders. "My gosh, look at you! You've gotten so…um…you've gotten taller…"

Jim smiled. "You, on the other hand, haven't changed a bit. So you're the C'tarl-C'tarl who's been causing all the commotion?"

Aisha let go of him and let out a laugh. "Commotion? Hah! Aisha was just playing rough with the locals. I swear, you send two guys to the hospital, and the authorities go postal!"

Jim laughed. "Something tells me it was more than just two…" He twirled his gun in his hand and holstered it. "So…how'd you end up on Stratus? I would have thought that you'd have gone back to the C'tarl-C'tarl Empire."

Aisha wrinkled her nose. "And face jail time? Fat chance."

Jim blinked. "So how did you end up here?"

Aisha shrugged. "I've been bumping around from place to place. Couldn't seem to go anywhere without pissing off the local authorities. Got chased off every planet I've been to so far. Looks like Stratus is just gonna be the next one on my list." Aisha winked. "So, how about you? How long have you been here?"

Jim shrugged. "I've been here basically ever since Gene and I split up years ago."

Aisha cocked her head. "When did _that_ happen? I thought you two were inseparable."

Jim looked away. "We were…until he and Melfina got married. With a family on the way, the last thing they needed was some kid lying around the house…besides, I've outgrown that business."

Aisha hid a laugh. "Those two got married? Jeez, it's only been…"

"Seven years?" Jim sighed. "Maybe for an immortal, that doesn't seem like a long time, but for Terrans, it's a bit of a while."

Aisha scratched her head. "Well, that's Terrans for you."

Jim shrugged. "Anyway, I've opened up an auto shop on the other side of town. It pays pretty well, but I still track down bounties to keep the cash flowing."

Aisha smiled, thinking. "So that's why you were after me. Wait a minute…how exactly did you manage to corner me? Aisha's outsmarted every bounty hunter that's come her way!"

Jim pointed a gun-shaped finger at her. "You forget; I've fought alongside you before. You know, I was always the observant one. In the back of my mind, I'd been keeping a tally on just what it took to bring down a C'tarl-C'tarl."

Aisha frowned. "In case I turned on you?"

Jim shrugged. "Or if we ran across another C'tarl-C'tarl. Call it a safety net. Anyway, finding you in shadows was no problem – I got a night vision visor in my helmet. Running you into a dead was simple too – I just memorized the layout of the streets. Taking you down, however, would have been a whole other story. The only method that I've ever seen work is to outlast you."

Aisha gawked, stupefied. "_Outlast a C'tarl-C'tarl_?"

Jim nodded. "Yep. Remember that time you came after Gene and me in Blue Heaven? After about half an hour of fighting on an empty stomach, you collapsed from sheer exhaustion. With a bounty on their head, it's doubtful that you've eaten well at all."

Aisha frowned. "Things were a _little_ bit different back then…_I_ was chasing after _you_."

Jim smiled. "But like I said, I notice things. Notice how when I had you cornered, _you_ lashed out at _me_? Well, that made me your target, right? And once a C'tarl-C'tarl picks a target, they can never let it go, am I right? The plan would have been to get back on the bike and try to gaud you along till you ran out of steam."

"Or you ran out of gas," Aisha snickered.

"That's why I filled this baby up to full before setting out," Jim winked.

Aisha let a sarcastic smile creep over her lips. "Sounds like you had the whole evening planned out. Gosh, Jim…you've become quite a resourceful bounty hunter. I better watch my back from now on."

Jim smiled back, letting his eyes wander a bit. "Guess so – cause I'll be doing the same. And then some."

Aisha blinked. Then she smiled, noticing his gaze. "_Jim_…are you flirting with Aisha?"

Jim smiled. "Can you blame me?"

Aisha winked. "Fair warning…the only reason I'm wanted on this planet at all is for starting bar fights after some self-centered Terran tried to hit on me."

Jim laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. So…where have you been staying?"

Aisha shrugged, shaking her head. "Well…I haven't. Ever since that bounty came up, I've been living on the streets."

Jim gawked. "What? That's no way to live."

Aisha shrugged. "It's not so bad. Unless you have any alternatives in mind."

Jim sighed, returning to his bike. He turned around, and threw Aisha a helmet. "Here, I got an extra one. You can stay at my place."

Aisha blinked. "Really?"

Jim winked. "Yeah! Who am I to turn down a friend in need?"

Aisha smiled. "Wow…thanks, Jim!"

Jim smiled, mounting his bike. "Hop on."

Aisha practically pranced onto the seat, before delicately wrapping her arms around Jim's shoulders.

_Whoa_, Aisha thought to herself, absently running her hands over the muscles in his shoulders. _He's a lot sturdier than he looks_. Aisha shook her head, recovering her wits. _What am I doing? Am I…blushing? How in the…_

"You ready?" Jim asked over the radio band between the helmets, snapping her out of her trance.

Aisha nodded. "Ready!"

Jim revved the engine. "Here we go."

xxxxx

Aisha had to admit: it felt nice to be riding behind Jim on his bike. Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, and her whole body was pressed up against his back. The fast repetition of streetlights whizzed by overhead against a black backdrop of a quiet night. The wind was rushing past, and the low, numbing reverberation of the engine through the soft leather seat practically lulled her to sleep.

She considered the boy she was holding on to. She had seen him last when he was eleven years old. She had admitted to herself that she had taken a liking to him. But this was the first time she had ever really given those emotions any serious thoughts.

This was a whole new Jim. Still just as quick, witty, and smart as before, but now with the mettle to back it up. She remembered tussling with him in the alley; he had put up a pretty decent fight - enough to give Gene a run for his money.

_Why am I still blushing!_ She thought hard to herself, realizing that she was swooning. _He's just a Terran! Sure, I'd glommed onto him before, but that was just…like, a sisterly love…wasn't it?_

Aisha didn't have time to consider the matter any further as her ears pricked up. Under the helmet and behind the roar of the motorcycle, she had hardly heard it, but it was there.

Sure enough, a tank-sized pirate hover vehicle was fast approaching. It was surrounded by other motorcycles, and each driven by a flexi-pirate.

"Hey, Jim," she said into the radio band. "Expecting company?"

"Not really," Jim sighed, looking behind them. "Any company I can expect isn't here for a dinner party…"

The bike riding pirates behind them each drew a pistol and started firing at the cat girl and the boy on the motorcycle.

"Jim! Heads up!" Aisha warned.

Aisha then held onto the young man as hard as she could, as he dodged each of the blast, performing a dazzling series of evasive maneuvers that seemed impossible at the speeds they were going.

"Jim! They're shooting for the tires!" Aisha pointed out, noticing their enemies' tactics.

"Don't worry," Jim said. "They're bullet proof. The only thing we need to worry about is ricochet."

"NYOUCH!" Aisha suddenly hollered, as a sudden sting hit her backside. A stray bullet had bounced off the back tire, pegging her rear end.

"Aisha!" Jim gasped. "What's wrong!"

"They nailed me in the butt!" She gawked.

"Are you okay?" Jim blurted.

"I'm fine. And now, I'm pissed!" Aisha screamed. She glared hard at the pirate just behind them. "Don't worry, Jimmy," she said. "Aisha will be right back."

Before Jim could prod further, Aisha let go of her hold on the boy and back-flipped off the seat of the motorcycle, landing squarely in the seat of the pirate's cycle behind the driver.

The pirate fought for control, but Aisha had executed her move before he could even react. She wrung his neck and threw the pirate off, knocking into one of his comrades, sending them both off road.

Aisha braked her bike quickly, letting the pirates whip ahead of her. She then equilibrated their speed, and made quick work of picking off each of the pirates by driving up besides them and delivering a fierce blow, knocking them each off their bikes one by one.

Finally, only the big rig was left. It was still pursuing Jim.

Aisha pulled up next to the rig and pounded it with her fist. It didn't do anything to it; the hull was simply too heavily armored.

The big rig began to catch up with Jim, who was emptying clip after clip at the thing, while still keeping his bike on the road. The rig then slammed into his rear tire, lurching Jim forward. Aisha almost swallowed her tongue as Jim just barely regained balance from the concussion.

_At this speed, a crash could kill him!_ Aisha thought to herself._ He's not going to be able to take too many hits like that._ _I just got him back after all this time, and I'm not letting him die before I find out what my feelings are at least!_

Aisha steered her bike behind the rig and with a feat of strength, cleared the handlebar and landed on the roof of the rig. With both feet firmly planted, and one hand giving additional support, she used her free hand, and, with pure unbridled C'tarl-C'tarl strength, began pummeling the hood of the rig until pieces of the hood began to fly off.

Out of the top hatch, a pirate emerged, baring a gun at her, just in time to catch a chunk of metal that creamed him with in the face.

Aisha took the opportunity to make the top hatch just a little big bigger, before ripping the entire rig in two.

Jim skidded his bike to a halt when he heard the sound of screeching metal. He turned his head just in time to see the rig explode, lighting up the night in a fiery inferno.

"Aisha!" he screamed into his helmet. He got back only static, so he removed his helmet and called into the wind. "Aisha, are you alright!"

Jim watched, desperately, searching for any sign of her. He dismounted his ride and tried approaching the wreckage, but the heat was too intense. All he could do was stand there, staring, hoping to catch so much as a glance…

A touch on his shoulder just about sent him bounding. "Whatcha looking at?"

Jim jumped about ten feet. "Aisha!"

Aisha was standing with her arms crossed, perfectly fine. "Were you expecting someone else?"

Jim threw his arms around her, without thinking. "Aisha! You're alive!"

Aisha just blinked as the young man held her tightly. Her ears began to turn red, before she managed to shake it off. "Of course!" she declared, feigning her old arrogance. "It'll take more than that to take down an immortal C'tarl-C'tarl!"

Jim was actually trembling. The fear he had felt once when she had nearly died in the past had suddenly resurfaced. He didn't know why it still hurt so much, but he was sure that he didn't want to have to experience it again.

"So…are we gonna get moving, or are you not finished hugging me?"

Jim let her go, looking away, embarrassed. He slowly began to realize what he had just done, and sheepishly got to his bike. "Um…yeah…let's get going…"

Aisha frowned, not knowing what had just went wrong, but obliged nonetheless. She hopped onto the leather seating, gingerly wrapping her arms around him. She was surprised when he flinched at her touch.

_Why is he acing so skittish all of the sudden?_ She asked herself. _Is it…something I did?_

Very little was said between them as they made their way to Jim's shop.

xxxxx

"'Fraid I don't have much to eat, but you're welcome to it," Jim said, sleep already present in his voice.

Aisha eyed the shop, poignantly. They were in a small but cozy lounge, bordered by an inlaid desk that covered an entire wall where Jim conducted his business. On the side of the room to the left of the desk was a room that, upon later inspection, led to the garage, where there were no less than a dozen cars, trucks, motorcycles, and everything in between.

Jim led Aisha upstairs where the living area was. Aside from a few stray articles of clothing that had been neglected, the living area was relatively clean. A lumpy couch sat at one end, two doors stood ajar on the far wall, and the room opened into a kitchen on the other side. Everywhere there were posters, which either contained fancy looking cars, pretty girls, or both - mostly, the latter of the three.

In fact, Aisha noticed, more than one of the girls posing with the cars were C'tarl-C'tarl.

"That's absurd," Aisha said, voicing her first reaction. "A proud C'tarl-C'tarl would never display themselves like this, especially in a media viewable by Terrans!"

Jim laughed. "There're a lot more C'tarl-C'tarl like that then you think. Heck, eight out of ten of the local strip clubs feature C'tarl-C'tarl dancers."

Aisha leered. "Strip clubs, eh Jimmy?"

Jim blushed, shrugging. "Hey, I'm guy, you know?"

Aisha paid the posters one last heed. She toyed with the idea that maybe the fact that he had so many posters of C'tarl-C'tarl was due to an interest in one that he's known beforehand.

Aisha shook her mind clear of those thoughts, noticing Jim cleaning out one of the rooms – the door on the right.

"You can have my room," he said. He pointed to the door on the left. "Here's the bathroom. It's clean, don't worry."

"Where will you sleep?" Aisha queried.

Jim nodded to the couch, and began grabbing pillows and blankets and tossing them on top of it.

"Aw, Aisha doesn't want Jim to give up his room for her," Aisha whined.

Jim shook his head. "It's only proper that I do. You should appreciate it; Gene wouldn't have even considered giving up _his_ room."

Aisha sulked. "I _do_ appreciate it, Jim…it's just that…"

"You don't like depending on others?" Jim offered.

Aisha shook her head. "It's not that…it's just that…well…it's _your_ room…I don't want to take away what's yours."

Jim shook his head. "It's mine to give, Aisha. Just take it as a favor."

Aisha's continued sulking only gave rise to a more diminished mood.

"Look, if it means so much to you," Jim winked, "I'll come in and sleep in there with you."

Aisha blushed profusely. "Wh-wh-what are you suggesting!"

Jim burst out laughing. "Jeez, Aisha…it really doesn't take much to get a rise out of you, does it?"

Aisha just pouted. "It's not nice to toy with people's emotions."

Jim stared back. "Oh, now _I'm_ the one toying with people's emotions?"

Aisha blinked. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Jim shook his head. "Nothing."

"Jim?"

"I said it's nothing," Jim blurted, stumbling over to the couch. "Look, I'm tired, let's just go to bed already."

Aisha's ears drooped, as a sullen frown crept over her face. "Okay…" She walked over to Jim's room, and halfway entered the door. "…Goodnight, Jim…thanks for taking me in."

A hand rose from the pile of blankets covering the couch. "Don't mention it. Night, Aisha."

Still not satisfied, Aisha shut the door.

xxxxx

Aisha woke the next morning to the smell of sausage, bacon, and French toast steaming from the kitchen. Aisha followed her nose and saw Jim with chefs hat on, a spatula in his hand, flipping flapjacks on a griddle.

"Good morning," Jim smiled, noticing Aisha's approach.

Aisha smiled, widely, eying the food. "Good morning. That food sure smells good…can Aisha have some?"

Jim winked. "No, I just cooked it up to taunt you while I eat it."

Aisha blinked. "Wha-!"

Jim laughed. "Come on, Aisha, of course you can have some. I went out early this morning and splurged on food, since I know you must be hungry."

Aisha smiled. "Yay! Thank you, Jimmy!"

She needed no further coaxing as she descended on the platters of food on the table. Aisha had consumed just about everything on the table (the flatware had been fortunate enough to elude her ravenous maw) before sitting back and patting her belly.

"Ahh…" she sighed, content. "That sure hit the spot. I can't remember the last time I had a meal like that!"

Jim smiled, finishing off his share, which amounted to about one sixteenth of the amount of food consumed in all. "Glad you liked it…anyway, now that we're done with breakfast, I was wondering if we could talk?"

Aisha blinked, sitting cross-legged on her chair. "Nya-nya? About what?"

"About your bounty," Jim said. "I was thinking all night about a way to get you off the hook. The only thing I could think of is to go to the bureau of internal security and present something that would convince them that I'd killed you. They'd remove your name from the bounty list, and we'd be a thousand wong richer."

Aisha blinked. "Hey, that doesn't sound like a bad idea!"

Jim nodded. "The only trick is getting something to make our story convincing…something to prove that I got you."

Aisha retrieved something from her back pocket and handed it to Jim. "How about this? It's my I.D. badge for the C'tarl-C'tarl Empire. That's irrefutable proof – a proud C'tarl-C'tarl would never be separated from it."

Jim glanced the badge; it was thin and sharp, made of fiber-steel – a nearly indestructible material – with a picture of Aisha and some C'tarl-C'tarl writing on it that Jim couldn't understand.

"But _you're_ willing to part with it?" Jim asked, giving her a clever eye.

Aisha winked. "Aisha's spent enough time away from the empire to realize that pride can more often be a hindrance than an advantage."

Jim nodded, smiling. "A wise observation – I'm impressed that a C'tarl-C'tarl could come up with it."

Aisha glared. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Jim sighed. "Calm down, Aisha, I was only joking. Anyway, I'll stop by the bureau right now. You just sit tight; I'll be back in about half an hour."

Aisha waved goodbye. "Thanks again, Jim!"

xxxxx

"Wha-!" Jim wailed. "What do you mean I can't collect on the bounty!"

The officer behind the desk in front of him shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir…the warrant clearly says that Aisha Clan-Clan of the C'tarl-C'tarl Empire is wanted _alive_. I'm afraid with her dead, her bounty is made void by default."

Jim gawked. "You can't be serious!"

The officer glared back. "Just be glad I'm not charging you for second degree murder – after all, criminals still have their rights too."

Jim fumigated, but kept his mouth shut out of interest of not being arrested. "Thank you for your time, Sir."

Jim dejectedly returned home.

xxxxx

Aisha was busying herself with Jim's home game system, when said young man returned.

"Jim!" Aisha piped, happily. "Did it work?"

Jim sighed. "The good news is, I got the bounty off your head. The bad news is, you were wanted _alive_ apparently, so 'killing' you means we can't cash in the bounty."

Aisha smiled. "That's okay, Jim – it's only a thousand wong. Besides, you still helped me out. Thanks a lot!"

Aisha placed a quick peck on his cheek before scampering back to her game.

Jim rubbed his cheek, his ears on fire. "Uh…any time."

xxxxx

The next few days were a lot more enjoyable for the two of them than their previous ones had been. Aisha had not wanted to be a freeloader, so she opted to help Jim around the shop. She busied herself polishing the chrome coverings of the customers' cars and giving them each a scrub down.

One day, Jim was busy in the garage when a call came in.

"Aisha, can you answer that?"

Aisha looked up from her polishing job. "What should I say?"

Jim shrugged. "Thank them for calling my shop, and ask if they can hold."

Aisha nodded, stepping out to the desk and picking up the phone.

"Thank you for calling Hawking Auto Mechanics, can you hold please?"

From there, little by little, Aisha slowly started to become Jim's personal secretary.

"The repairs on the '32 Sheller? Those will be in on the twelfth."

"You say your engine's broken down? Mr. Hawking will be with you right away!"

"I'm sorry sir, our company does not handle water vehicles."

"Those parts for the '46 Ohami came in. What time can you pick them up?"

"Would I be interested in a year's subscription to 'Space Pirates Monthly?' What kind of sick twisted salesman are you!"

And so on and so forth.

"I'm surprised how well you work with the customers, Aisha," Jim said to her one day after work was over. "I thought you'd have started yelling at customers at this point, but you've really been doing a good job."

Aisha flexed her arm. "You better believe it. One of my majors at the C'tarl-C'tarl academy was in diplomacy – that's why I was given the assignment of off-world representative before we met."

All the help Aisha did for the desk job gave Jim a lot more time to handle his job in the garage. His usual work got done in less than half the time it took originally. This led, eventually, to higher revenue, which meant more food for Aisha.

"Yippee!" Aisha said, as she and Jim made their way to the ice cream store after a long day. "Aisha loves ice cream!"

Jim sighed, though he couldn't prevent a smile from broaching his usually contained demeanor. "You earned it. This has been the best week my business has ever seen. At this rate, I'll be able to expand my company within a year."

Aisha blinked. "A year?"

Jim nodded. "Yeah. Unless you had other plans."

Aisha thought about that. She had been completely unbound for the past seven years, making her way from place to place. It was not a lifestyle she had been too happy with, but it had become such an integral mindset. To have to live somewhere permanently…it would change everything. But it would mean a life without having to be on the run from the law, a place where she could return to…and some living there to welcome her with open arms.

Aisha nodded to herself, her decision made. "That sounds like a great idea."

Jim smiled. "Awesome. What flavor do you want?"

Aisha glanced up at the list. "Hmm…let's see what they've got. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, caramel, peanut butter, cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, pistachio, almond, and sherbet."

Jim nodded. "Yep, that's about all they have."

Aisha shook her head. "No, that's my order."

Jim just sort of blinked. "Um…okay."

xxxxx

With what could only be described as an armful of ice cream cones (The soda jerk had double scooped one of each flavor into one cone and still ended up with five cones), Aisha, along with Jim, made their way through a park.

"Well, I _was_ rolling in dough…" Jim sighed.

"Did you say something Jim?" Aisha asked, a dab of green ice cream on her nose.

"Nothing," Jim said, wiping the bit of ice cream off her nose with the end of his little finger.

Aisha just giggled. "What can I say? Aisha loves ice cream!"

Jim smiled. "Well, you've been a really big help so far, so I'm willing to treat you from time to time."

Aisha smiled back. "Thanks, Jim. Anyway, don't forget, you were the one who saved my fur in the first place. I'm just trying to make it up to you."

Jim shook his head. "It was no problem at all. Besides, if you hadn't been there when those pirates attacked, I might not be alive right now."

Aisha crossed her arms. "How could I let them kill you after you had been so nice to me and everything? As a C'tarl-C'tarl…as a _friend_, I couldn't have allowed it!"

Jim smiled. "Well, thanks, Aisha. I'm glad you still consider me a friend after all this time."

Aisha nodded. "You said yourself seven years isn't long for an immortal."

Jim nodded. "Just the same…I'm glad we can still hang out after all that time away from each other."

Aisha nodded, smiling in agreement. "Nyao!"

They passed by a water fountain, and decided to sit down on the rim, finishing off the last of their dessert. As soon as Aisha was done, Jim took the opportunity to clean the gooey mess off of Aisha's face.

"Jeez, Aisha…for a proud noble warrior, you sure do eat sloppily," he said, after wetting a napkin in the fountain and dabbing at her face.

Aisha smirked. "You're one to talk, Jim…you smudged up your face pretty well too."

Jim just laughed as he finished off wiping her face. "There," he said, retracting his arm and crumbling up the napkin. "That's looking better."

Aisha leered. "Good. My turn."

Before he could stop her, Aisha decided to clean off Jim's face too. Being a C'tarl-C'tarl, however, she had more direct means - by licking it clean.

"Ah!" Jim exclaimed, laughing. "Aisha, stop that!"

Aisha just giggled, grabbing him by the shoulders, licking his face. "Aw, come on, don't fight it, Jim."

"I mean it, Aisha!" Jim shouted, his face red as tomato. "That _really_ tickles!"

"Oh, so little Jimmy's ticklish too?" Aisha gleamed.

Jim gulped, realizing what he had just gotten himself into. "What…no, I…wait a minute! Don't you dare! Gah!"

Outmatched for strength, Jim was absolutely helpless as Aisha pinned him to the rim of the fountain, tickling his ribs.

"Ah!" Jim laughed. "Aisha, stop that!"

"Give in, Jimmy!" Aisha commanded.

"What – ah-hah! – What do you want!"

"Surrender and be my slave for the rest of the week!" Aisha ordered, a big joking smile on her face.

"Fat chance!" Jim declared, trying with no avail to wrestle free.

"Have it your way, then," Aisha said, straddling his waist and tickling him under the armpits.

"GAH!" Jim shouted. "No, wait! Stop! I can't take it anymore!"

"Do you surrender then?" Aisha laughed.

"Let me go!" Jim said, abruptly, catching her off guard, and grabbed her ribs.

"Hey!" Aisha said, leaping back. "You're not supposed to fight back!"

"Try and stop me!" Jim taunted, going for her ribs once more.

The two of them horsed around for the better part of an hour, until they were both tired and exhausted, throwing themselves onto their backs atop a grassy hill.

"Call it a draw?" Jim panted.

"A draw? Are you kidding?" Aisha gasped out. "Aisha's just getting started!"

Jim laughed. "Sure, Aisha…hey, is that a flying pig?"

Aisha blinked. "Huh?"

Jim shook his head. "Never mind – Terran humor."

Aisha tussled Jim's hair. "No matter how long I live with you Terrans, I'll never understand you."

Jim smiled. "Well, that's okay…sometime, we don't even understand ourselves."

Aisha ventured no reply, as she laid back, her gaze fixated on the evening sky.

Stratus' two moons hung lazily in the sky, the last few wisps of daylight fading away in the distance. Aisha crossed her arms behind her head and sighed.

"Jim, you know something? I'm really glad we ran into each other after all this time. My days were all boring and empty before you came along. Now, it's like my life is back on track."

Jim looked at her in wonder. "Really?"

Aisha returned his gaze and smiled. "Absolutely!"

Aisha casually placed her hand in Jim's hair, tussling it around. But this time, it was more affectionate than it had been before. What began as a tussle became a gentle caress, as she stroked methodically through the shaggy strands, teasing his scalp with her nails.

Jim let his mouth curl into a tiny smile. He returned the sign of affection with a soft caress of her cheek, running his calloused fingertips over her soft skin.

Aisha shivered as his fingers struck the slightest of nerves in her skin. There was no denying her feelings now. What she felt for this boy was far more than the sisterly affection she had originally placed with him. The more she thought about it, the more she realized the simple obvious truth: that this Terran had seized her heart.

The heart of a C'tarl-C'tarl.

The heart of an immortal C'tarl-C'tarl.

An immortal C'tarl-C'tarl who would outlive any Terran by about ten thousand years.

Aisha sat up. "It's getting late. Let's go home."

Jim blinked, surprised by her sudden withdrawal. "Um…okay… Is something the matter?"

Aisha heaved, ever so slightly. She could only pray that Jim had not seen it.

"No," Aisha said, bluntly. "I'm just tired, that's all."

Jim gave no response, as the two of them trudged home.

Very few words were spoken between them from that point on.

xxxxx

The remainder of the week went slowly.

Aside from tallying orders, Aisha hardly ever spoke to Jim. Jim, for his part, just gave the occasional favor demand. Both said their good mornings in the morning, and goodnights at night. Beyond that, very little went on.

Then came the weekend, when there was little if no work needing to be done. The two of them were left to themselves, with nothing to distract them from the ever-building tension between them.

Aisha was sitting on the floor, playing a video game that she'd beaten twenty times over already. Jim was lying back on the couch, reading a magazine. Both of them knew that the awkward silence between them wouldn't last forever, but neither knew just what to say to break it as easily as possible.

Jim was the one who broke it first. "How much of Stratus have you seen?"

Aisha glanced up from her game. "Huh?"

Jim shrugged. "I was just thinking…you want to go for a ride? I just read about this restaurant in the town next to ours that serves really good seafood. Now, I _know_ you're not going to turn down seafood, Aisha."

Aisha looked away. It was an appealing idea. A very important part of her had wanted to spend more time with Jim ever since that night in the park, and seafood was sounding pretty good too. But she knew all too well that if they kept this up, it would only get worse.

Still…what could one night hurt?

"Sure!" Aisha said, trying as hard as she could to smile.

Jim smiled, sitting up and stepping into his shoes. "Alright, let's go."

Aisha got up. "Right now? Isn't it a fancy restaurant?"

Jim nodded, noticing just as Aisha was that they were both dressed rather shabby. "Don't worry about it. We still have about an hour before dinnertime. Why don't we stop by a department store so we can pick something out for the both of us?"

Aisha had to stop herself from salivating. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always loved shopping, but she never had much money. So, she joined the military, and made plenty of money. She discovered, however, that she had no time whatsoever to shop anywhere. After she left he military, she had the necessary time, but once again, found herself lacking the money. Now, finally she had both money and time. The idea was too good to pass up.

"Can we really!" Aisha blurted, genuine happiness in her voice.

Jim smiled. "Sure. We've got enough to splurge a little bit."

"Yippee!" Aisha shouted, as she scampered downstairs and to the garage.

Jim followed her and handed her his spare helmet, before strapping on his own.

Once again, Aisha was sitting behind Jim on his motorcycle, as they sped out to the city.

xxxxx

"How's it going in there?" Jim asked, as he eyed his new suit. It was dark blue, with a tan silk button down underneath. He wore it without a tie, with the top two buttons undone, leaving plenty of room to breath.

Aisha pulled open the curtain. "Well? How do I look?" She turned around to show off her new dress.

It was an emerald green Chinese brocade dress with shiny golden trim. It went down to her knees, with the left side cut dangerously high up her leg, revealing the lacy trim of pale green stockings that went down to golden-yellow sandals. Her hair, rather than the long braided ponytail, was rolled up into two Chinese buns. Her headband was missing, but her neck was adorned with a golden chain that ended in pendant that she had bought earlier that evening. Her nails and makeup were also outstanding, enough to accentuate the beauty underneath, but conservative enough not to make her seem anything less than who she was.

"Catching flies?" she joked, noticing Jim's slack jaw.

Jim shook his head, putting a leash on his thoughts. "You look…beautiful…"

Aisha smiled, pointing a finger in jest. "Are you suggesting that I wasn't beautiful before?"

Jim started. "No! No, I…um…"

Aisha clutched her side as she laughed. "Hahaha…payback is fun!"

Jim rolled his eyes. "Can we just get going? We're already late."

Aisha nodded, and went to the front of the store to pay for the items, keeping her old clothes in the store bag.

They rushed outside and walked the rest of the way there – the department store had been in the same town as the restaurant.

They got in after a ten-minute wait, and sat outside on a sandstone balcony, which overlooked the coastline. The sun was just beginning to set, and overall, the setting was just perfect.

Aisha and Jim sat at the table, and glanced (or, in Aisha's case, drooled) at the menu. They decided to split a lobster tail, while Aisha ordered a large helping of fried clams and shrimp to hold her over. They each ordered their drinks, and sat back to watch the sunset.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Aisha commented.

"The sunset? I wasn't really paying attention," Jim smiled, his eyes staying fixed on the girl before him.

Aisha, taking a second to deduce his meaning, just smiled back. "Now, now, Jimmy…no drooling over the cat girl."

Jim winked. "Why not? _You_ were drooling over the menu."

"Well, _that_ kind of appreciation is allowed," Aisha retorted.

"And admiring a beautiful woman isn't?" Jim shot back.

Aisha blushed, looking away. "Oh…why must you…?"

Aisha suddenly nearly swallowed her tongue as she felt Jim's foot creep up her calf.

Aisha promptly stood up. "Excuse me…I need to use the restroom."

Without giving him another look, she promptly left to the sanctuary of the lavatory.

Supporting her weight on the sink, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

_Why is he being so impossible!_ She thought to herself. _Can't he see what he's doing to me!_

Aisha caught her breath, straightened her hair, cleaned up her makeup, and untwisted the annoying bunch that had been forming in her underwear since leaving the department store.

Somewhat less frazzled, she left the restroom and returned to her table.

Jim offered a helpless look. "I'm sorry if I was being too forward."

Aisha shook her head. "Forget about it."

Jim nodded, and decided to change the subject. "So, anyway…where else have you been besides Stratus? Sounds to me like you've been quite the little nomad recently."

Aisha smiled, happy to relate her travels. After seven long years with no one to talk to, chattering about her past exploits was a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.

"Well, I started off on Hirano IV. You should have seen the people there! No manners, no respect, no decency, and no hygiene! It was a nightmare!"

Jim smiled, content to listen to Aisha's stories. Most of them were pretty interesting.

Eventually, the food came, and the two of them continued the conversation between bites of seafood.

"So, I'm at this bar, right?" Aisha said, between mouthfuls of fried clams. "And these two guys…they're, what, 250 pounds of blubber? They start pushing me around like they owned the place! Well, they certainly won't be making that mistake anymore!"

The night went on, and eventually, Aisha's reminiscing fell silent. The two of them watched Stratus' two moons rise as they both casually slurped strawberry sherbet.

"Wanna get going?" Jim offered.

Aisha blinked. "Why? The night's so young."

Jim rolled his eyes. "That certainly did stop you that night at the park."

Aisha looked away, a guilty blush on her face. "Well…"

"Anyway, I'm not saying we leave town yet…just the restaurant. I'm feeling a bit restless. Wanna go for a walk?"

Aisha gulped down the rest of her sherbet. "Okay."

xxxxx

Aisha wanted to go shopping some more, but Jim pointed out that, while her help at the shop had increased their income, their earnings weren't unlimited. Still, that didn't stop Aisha from window-shopping.

"Wow, look at those earrings! They've got to be 24 carat gold, at least!"

Finally, Jim found something that piqued his interest: A karaoke bar.

"Jim, are you joking with me?" Aisha said, a blush forming on her face. "You're not suggesting that I…?"

Jim shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just saying we should check it out. It might be fun."

Stepping inside, the two of them were fraught with the smell of fried food and the sound of bad singing, as customers took turns standing up on stage.

"Do these people have no pride at all!" Aisha demanded, incredulously. "I mean, that last girl was missing half the words!"

Jim nudged her. "You wanna go up there and show her how it's done?"

Aisha blushed. "No way! I'm not gonna go up there and embarrass myself!"

Jim chuckled, knowingly. "Aw…is Aisha too chicken to sing in front of a bunch of people? Come on, Aisha, I had such respect for you!"

Aisha's ears twitched. "You…Aisha is _not_ chicken!"

Jim smiled. "Then go up there and prove me wrong."

Which was how Aisha somehow found herself up on stage, holding a microphone, a look of absolute terror on her face.

The crowds were wild with applause, glad not only to see another woman but a beautiful woman, singing on stage. The applause must have had their affect, as Aisha's dry throat began to moisten again as she heard the music begin.

"_Donna toki demo – Yume!_

_Kanaeru tame no – Yume!_

_Karada juu_

_Kakemeguru_

_Atsui kimochi wa_

_Hajike tonde iru yo!_"

By the time Aisha had finished, the entire karaoke bar was out of their seats singing along, applauding after she was done.

Aisha bowed over and over again; waving to her audience, before stepping down, back a smiling Jim.

"See? See? Didn't I tell you!" he said, laughing aloud.

Aisha slapped him behind the back hard enough to knock him out his chair. "Oh yeah! That was awesome!"

Jim got up from the floor. "Easy now; some of us are just Terrans."

The crowds were cheering for an encore, but Jim'd had enough, and insisted that they go.

"Aw, come on, Jim! You were the one that wanted to come in here in the first place!" Aisha whined.

Jim sighed. "Another time, Aisha…it's late and I'm tired, and I've got to work tomorrow."

Aisha kept whining until they were out of earshot of the bar. At that point, she let out a huge sigh.

"Whew! Thanks a lot, Jim…I wouldn't have been able to think of a decent excuse to leave!"

Jim sighed, smiling. "Well, I'm glad I was there to help."

With that, they made their way home.

xxxxx

The next week went by a bit smoother.

Aisha was still helping Jim in the shop, taking calls, tallying orders, yelling at telemarketers, and basically staying busy.

Jim, for the first time in years, actually had time to work on some of his own vehicles for once. And after a bit of late night tinkering, he had finally released his latest project.

"Aisha," a proud Jim Hawking said, smiling his oil-smudged face. "I'd like to introduce you to…"

Jim yanked the brown sheet off of his new car.

"The Efrau II!"

Beneath was a pristine maroon colored three-wheeled vehicle, much semblant to the original Efrau.

Aisha blinked. Then she blinked again. "What is it?"

Jim just gawked. "'What is it?' You're looking at a newly revamped, completely restored Thunderhead Tri-skid Classic Model 7! This baby's got a supped up SR6 engine with all the latest parts to make her run as sweet as a nut! And I even slipped in and H-2 turbo charger – those things aren't even out on the market yet!"

Aisha was still unsure of what to make of it.

"Well?" Jim said, expectantly. "What do you think of it!"

Aisha felt like a third grader being called on by her teacher. "It's…um…nice?"

Jim groaned. "Oh…some people just have no appreciation for my craft."

Aisha held up her hands. "No, no, really! It's really nice!"

Jim sulked, looking away. "You're just saying that to appease me now."

Aisha shook her head. "No, no! Aisha likes it! See?" Aisha wrapped her arms around the car as best as she could, petting its hood. "Nice little car," she said, as thought talking to a pet.

Jim just sighed. "It's okay, Aisha."

Jim walked out of the garage to clean himself off.

"Hey, Jim!" Aisha called out.

Said person ducked his head back in the shop. "What?"

Aisha rocked on her heels. "As long as you're in the mood for making cars…I was wondering if I could ask you a favor."

Jim cocked his head. "What?"

Aisha glanced at Efrau. "As much as I enjoy riding behind you on your motorcycle…I was wondering if there was a car around here that Aisha could use…you know, to drive on her own?"

Jim shrugged. "Gee, Aisha…I wouldn't have thought you'd be interested in owning a vehicle. Well…I know you probably want to do things on your own, but you still have to keep in mind that you're legally dead now. If you start popping up places, people are going to notice, and that bounty will be as real as it's ever been. But if you really want a car…well, I guess I could help you."

Jim put the cover back on top of the Efrau II.

"Thing is…most of the cars here aren't even mine. Just the bike and now this one. But I'll see what I can do. I'm just telling you now, though – cars aren't cheap. You'll owe me a favor after this one."

Aisha smiled back. "Sure thing. I'd really appreciate it! Thanks, Jim!"

xxxxx

After another grueling week of hard work, Jim had salvaged a body frame of an old Windflyer 1900. The paint was rusted, the doors were missing, and the engine wouldn't even start. But Jim hadn't yet found a car that he couldn't fully restore, and this one wasn't destined to be the first.

Aisha's eyes glowed at the vehicle. It was now an iridescent red, with a D-20 overdrive accelerator and swooped back airfoils. It even had the little dice dangling in the rear-view mirror for added touch.

"Well…whaddya think?" Jim asked, proud of his work.

"Nyao!" Aisha hollered in amazement. She rushed over to ogle over her new car. She moved almost faster than Jim could catch, popping up all around the car's frame, admiring every aspect, and playing with the hanging dice.

She then promptly went over to hug Jim. "Thank you, Jimmy! It's awesome!"

Jim smiled. "Glad you like it."

They both wandered back into the lounge, and Jim shut the door behind him, preparing to lock up for the night.

"Just remember, you owe me big," Jim said, pointing a joking finger at the cat girl.

Aisha smiled. "And just how am I ever going to repay such a thing?"

Jim shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something."

Aisha thought for a moment, before a very cat-like grin appeared on her face. "You know…I think I just did…"

Before Jim could even react, Aisha grabbed his chin and placed a short kiss on the lips.

Jim blinked, trying his hardest not to blush as Aisha stood back, giving her usual devil-may-care smile. "How about that, huh?"

Jim licked his lips, smiling devilishly. "Aw, come on…for what that car's worth, you could give me a better kiss than _that_!"

Aisha rolled her eyes in good humor. "Oh, fine…"

Jim hadn't expected her to oblige him. Before he knew it, Aisha had his head in a deadlock with her tongue halfway down his throat.

Jim gasped into her mouth at the sudden intrusion. He had never expected her to do anything like _this_! But here she was, kissing him as passionately as he had ever imagined, her hands enclosing around the back of his head.

Aisha quickly regained control of herself, not realizing how much she had been enjoying it herself. She let him go, staring back almost as surprised with herself as Jim was. "Jim, uh…heheh…I…"

Jim tried to smile, his cheeks a brilliant red. "Wow, I…Aisha, that was…that was amazing…"

Aisha inhaled sharply, a blush forming on her face. She turned her eyes away in embarrassment. She bit her lip, not knowing what to do next.

_I just kissed him!_ She said to herself as though saying it would make it any more believable. _I just kissed Jim!_

Aisha was so distracted by her inner thoughts that she barely even saw Jim approach her again.

"Jim!" She said, startled.

"Aisha…" he muttered, his eyes drifting shut, his voice on the verge of disappearing. "I want…another taste…"

Aisha's blush suddenly covered her entire face Jim suddenly pinned her to the lounge couch. Jim's tongue was pushed all the way into her mouth. Both her wrists were in a deadlock grip, and Jim's entire weight, though still not much at 120 lbs, held her solidly on her back.

"Mmh!" Aisha complained as Jim's tongue tickled the roof of her mouth. She suckled on his tongue eagerly. Her legs were uncomfortably open as Jim's ever-present self nudged itself between her. Aisha tried to struggle, tried to somehow force her body to resist him. But she couldn't help it. She wanted him so badly. Even if it was doomed to fail, she wanted for this to go on.

Her eyes flew open.

No. This had to end.

She broke off the kiss. "No…Jim…stop."

Jim looked at her, aghast. "Huh?"

Aisha looked away, looking ashamed of herself. "We need to stop, Jim."

Jim looked like a boy whose mother wouldn't let him stay up an extra hour on a school night. "Why!"

Aisha just sighed. "We can't…do this, Jim. It's not going to work."

Jim blinked, his jaw slack with disbelief. "No one's _asking_ for it to work, Aisha! I know it might be an awkward relationship… But Aisha…I've been holding back for so long. I just can't…resist it any more."

Jim tried to restart the broken kiss, but Aisha just pulled her face away. "No, Jim, stop this! This can't go any farther!"

Jim's face was a look of pain. "And why the hell not!"

Aisha looked equally pained. "Because, Jim, look at us! You're a Terran! I'm…a C'tarl…"

Jim gawked, aghast. "_That's_ what this is all about? A _racial difference_!"

Aisha glared at him. "Jim…"

"Aisha, you know just as well as I do that race doesn't mean anything, especially not when it comes to the way people feel about each other!"

Aisha glared furiously at the boy. "It does when the difference means that one of us is going to die centuries before the other does!"

Jim was halted in his tracks. Instantly, he saw Aisha's logic. How had he missed it? How had he been so stupid! How had he, the most observant crewmember of the Outlaw Star, not seen the painfully obvious truth?

He knew the answer of course. Because hadn't wanted to.

"Aisha…I…"

"No, Jim," Aisha said, holding back tears, her ears drooping. "This has to end…_now_."

Jim reluctantly got up off of her, and sat at the far end of the couch, looking away. "I'm…I'm sorry Aisha…"

Aisha got up from off her back, readjusting her disheveled outfit, and sat down, turned her eyes away. "I'm sorry too, Jim…"

Jim couldn't even look as she got up and walked up the stairs.

xxxxx

A/N: Okay, it'll take me a while to figure out where to go at this point, so I'll leave you guys with this.

I'm so mean.


	2. Chapter 2

Outlaw Star Fan Fiction

**Forgotten Embers**

By Kraven Ergeist

A/N: Well, chapter two is underway. I also edited the first chapter a bit – the major change involved Aisha's fighting style. Someone pointed out that Aisha would never use a gun. I thought about it, and decided that you're absolutely right.

Also, someone quite accurately pointed out Aisha's song being from the Outlaw Star soundtrack. Indeed, her character song, "Another Day," is one of my favorites, and my response to this is: You say it as if it were a bad thing.

Chapter Two

When Jim woke up the next morning, the shop was empty. The past few weeks, he had been sleeping on the couch, his room given to Aisha. He knocked on the door, only to open it and find his room vacant. He searched the entire shop, every room. But the entire building was devoid of life.

When he searched the garage, he found that the car he had built for her was missing. Taped to the Efrau II was this note:

_Jim,_

_I'm so sorry I had to leave you like this. I'm sorry for a lot of things. For the whole time Aisha was with you, you've shown nothing but kindness and support, and Aisha's given nothing in return._

_I'm sorry for the way I acted last night. I was really harsh, and I didn't mean to be. I was just too scared to think about what would happen if the two of us got involved with each other. Even after turning you down, things would have never been the same between us. So Aisha decided that the easiest way to deal with the decision we had to make would be to cut it off quick and directly._

_I'm sorry that I let these feelings come between us. The consequences would just be too hard for me to handle. I guess I'm just a weakling at heart. _

_Please understand this isn't your fault. I'm the one who came crashing into your world after practically abandoning you seven years ago. I would have never anticipated that I would have developed any sort of feelings for you._

_The most painful thing for me is, even if I could have anticipated it, I'm still not sure that I wouldn't have still stayed with you._

_I will look back on our time together with fondness and love._

_Please don't come looking for me._

_Your friend, forever,_

_Aisha_

Jim reread the note over and over again, until he was on his knees, weak with grief.

She had left him.

She had left him before he even had a chance to truly love her.

Jim got up off the floor, dragged himself upstairs, and flung himself back onto the couch.

He never opened shop that day.

xxxxx

Aisha quietly made her way through town. She was neither chipper nor perky, nor any of the others emotions that usually drove her. Unless someone had cared to peer under the hood that hid her C'tarl ears, no one would distinguish her from a normal human.

She was in the town that she and Jim had gone to that night. She had parked her car by an old warehouse where she planned to remain for at least the remainder of the night. Though she knew circumstances might force her hand, she did not want to leave the planet that she knew Jim was on.

She stopped by the jewelry store she had passed by after dinner that night. She peered in through the glass window at the golden earrings; another petty trinket, she knew. But still…had she allowed Jim to steal her heart, he might have let her try it on someday. But no longer…

She passed by the karaoke bar. The usual clowns were singing and dancing. Aisha recalled how much fun it had been to go up on stage that night. Now, she didn't feel like singing. She didn't feel like doing anything fun anymore. All she wanted was what she knew she couldn't have.

She walked away.

xxxxx

Later in the day, Jim plopped himself onto a bar stool at a tavern he frequented in his earlier years.

"Well…Jim Hawking," came the friendly voice of Garth, the tavern keep. "Haven't seen you in a long time. How's it been?"

"The usual," Jim moaned. "And make it a double,"

"Not well, I take it?" Garth said, placing his drink before him.

Jim downed the glass in a single gulp, staggered where he sat, before raising his head to look at the bartender. "You ever meet a C'tarl-C'tarl before, Garth?"

The obliging tavern keep shook his head. "No, Jim, I haven't. I hear they're very violent, though, and completely uncivilized."

Jim shook his head. "You don't know the half of it…"

xxxxx

Aisha was walking blindly now, bumping into people, poles, cracks, signposts, shadows…she just didn't care anymore. She was overcome with grief; all she wanted was some sort of outlet for her pain.

Which, as luck would have it, she was about to receive.

"Hey, lady! Watch where you're going!"

"You don't just bump into a fella without apologizing to him!"

Aisha felt two arms stop her in place. She looked up from her hood, allowing light to shine over her face.

Aside from the three strangers, there was no one around. They were strong by Terran standards, but by a C'tarl's standards, they were nothing.

"Hey, this is one fine looking girl."

"We lucked out tonight, boys!"

"Whaddya say, lady? Feel like coming back home with us?"

Aisha's teeth gritted and clenched her fists.

Perfect.

She gave a shout and let her fists fly. The first man took a hammer blow to the gut, flying backwards. The second man took a knee to the groin, keeled over, and received a slam to the back of their head.

"Is that all you've got!" Aisha demanded. "Come on! Come on!"

The third guy backed away, petrified. "What in God's name _are_ you!"

Aisha burst forward, grabbing his face. "Your worst nightmare, pal…"

With a simple action, she pushed his head into the wall.

Aisha walked away, feeling worse than ever.

xxxxx

"So, you and this C'tarl girl-"

"Aisha."

"Right…you and Aisha…can't be together…because you won't live as long as she will?"

Jim knocked back another drink. "That's about the size of it."

Garth sighed. "So, instead of one of you feeling bad for part of your life, both of you have to feel bad for your entire lives?"

Jim didn't respond.

"Sounds like a pretty dumb setup to me."

Jim slammed his glass in front of him. "Gimme another."

"You've had enough, Jim," Garth sighed. "You should go on home."

Jim grunted, but didn't argue. He left his money and got up of his seat. "Thanks for listening, Garth."

Garth smiled, watching him go. "Anytime, Jim. Anytime."

xxxxx

After he got home, Jim crumpled into his desk, too weak to haul himself upstairs. He rested his head down, but he was still too sober to fall asleep. He toyed around with various things on his desk, tinkered with his computer, and did a thousand mindless things.

Nothing helped.

He flipped through his contacts list, trying to find someone to call, when stumbled across the frequency of Starwind and Hawking Enterprises.

Jim stared. Since his leaving, Gene and Mel must have moved out. There was no way they'd still be there.

Jim plugged in the interstellar frequency and waited.

"There's no way he'd still be there," Jim mused, tapping his fingers. "There's just no way."

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

"Hello?"

Jim froze. "…Gene…"

The face before him blinked. He didn't look too much older than before. His hair was still a mess, but his outfit was almost respectable.

Gene tilted his head, before his eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, Jim, it's you! Where have you been? When you told us you were heading out to make it on your own, I didn't expect you to cut us out entirely."

Jim swallowed hard. "Gene…"

Gene shrugged. "But hey, better late than never. Hang on, let me go get Mel – she'll want to say hi."

"No, wait! Gene!"

Gene blinked. "What?"

Jim peered in closer to the screen as though it would make his voice any clearer. "I need to talk to you."

Gene shrugged. "Sure, pal. What do you need?"

Jim sagged. "It's Aisha."

Gene practically inflated. "Well, isn't this the big family reunion? Now, I have to get Melfina!"

"Gene, you're not listening," Jim gasped out, his sobriety or lack thereof getting in the way of his speech."

"What's the matter, Jim? Are you drunk?"

"Yes, but please, listen to me. Aisha and I ran into each other a little while back. And well…we really hit it off."

Gene smiled. "Hey, that's great Jim!"

"What I mean is…we were about to hit it off…when we realized that she was immortal and I wasn't."

Gene inhaled. "Oh…that's right…"

Jim nodded. "And so if we were to get together, it'd be fun for me while I lived, but after I died…well, Aisha would be left all by herself, broken hearted. And I don't want that, Gene…"

Gene blinked. "Hmm…that is a bit of a problem…"

Both men were silent.

"Who is it, Gene?" came a tiny voice.

"Hmm? Oh, hey, Mel! Look who it is!"

"Hm?" Melfina's face appeared on screen. Aside from her new attire – her pink outfit from after they found the Leyline, she hadn't changed one bit. "Oh my gosh! Jim! Look at you! You've gotten so tall!"

Jim let go of his trouble for a minute, and smiled. "Good to see you too, Melfina."

Gene smiled. "Mind if I tell her, Jim?"

Jim nodded. "Sure. Won't solve anything."

Melfina blinked. "Hmm? Tell me what?"

Had Jim been sober, he would have expected Gene to start making obscene comments about him and Aisha. But he spoke with surprising sympathy.

"Jim and Aisha are both in love…"

Melfina clasped her hands together. "Oh, that's so wonderful!"

Gene shook his head. "Hold on. There's a problem."

Melfina cocked her head, cutely. "Hmm?"

Gene nodded. "See, Aisha's an immortal. And Jim…well…isn't."

Melfina blinked. "Oh…is that all?"

Gene and Jim both blinked.

"I'm immortal too, Gene," Melfina smiled. "That never stopped us."

Gene smiled. "Hey, you're right. It's been a while since I've thought about it. Mel and I had to deal with the same problem, Jim. And you know what we decided?"

Jim shook his head.

"Not to worry about it," Gene smiled. "And if push comes to shove, I can just get an android body like Harry did or something. What matters most, Jim, is being the with people you care about."

Melfina smiled. "He's right, Jim. It doesn't matter how long you both shall live. What does matter is that you two remain together for as long as possible."

Jim stared, awestruck. The answer had been staring him in the face the whole time. Would Aisha go for it?

"Alright, Jim," Gene nodded. "You go settle things with Aisha now."

"And make sure you call us when you get back so we can arrange a visit," Melfina added with her usual pep. "I want you and Aisha to meet the twins."

Jim nodded. "I will. And thanks…_Aniki_…"

Gene pointed a gun shaped finger at his old partner. "Go for it."

xxxxx

Aisha sought sleep atop the warehouse roof. The night air was frigid and constant bustle on the streets below made it impossible to sleep. But then, Aisha was too torn to really care much about sleep.

She thought back to her home world; to the easy, quiet life she had left behind so long ago. To her peaceful life in the sun. Things were so much simpler back then. Even in the military, it was a straightforward matter of following orders. Then, she began to proceed in rank, she started having to do more than just point and click.

She remembered back to when she commanded the Ortahone'hone, how majestically it sailed through the sea of space. If she stared hard enough, she could make out its shape in the stars above her. She drew a picture in her mind, and saw the spiky exterior of the ship and the hidden power within. The tiny fighter ships beside it were so tiny and inconsequential in comparison.

Wait a minute…fighter ships?

Those weren't stars! Those were military craft!

Aisha jumped up, as the fighter ship above her switched on a searchlight, landing it squarely on her, causing her to cover her face in the glare.

"Aisha Clan-Clan!" came a voice over the loudspeaker. "In the name of the C'tarl-C'tarl Empire, you are under arrest!"

Aisha didn't even think. Against Terrans, she was unstoppable. Against a fully loaded C'tarl fighter ship, she might as well have been a mouse being chased by a cat.

She leapt the ledge of the building; landing squarely in front of her newly refurbished Windflyer. She jumped in the car, revved the engine and took off at top speed.

The fighter ship followed in hot pursuit, announcing quite clearly over the loudspeaker that if she did not stop her vehicle, she would be fired upon.

"Alright, Jimmy…don't let me down…" Aisha muttered, revving the engine. The idea of a land vehicle trying to outrace an aerial vehicle was despicable, but if she found a tunnel or some sort of cave where she could hide her vehicle, she might make it.

Only problem was that she was on a highway.

The fighter ship began unloading a pallet gun, blasting the pavement behind her car into smithereens.

Aisha dodged left and right, praying that her car would hold up.

Had she not been concentrating so heavily on the artillery raining down on her, she might have noticed the three-wheeled maroon colored vehicle coming up from behind.

xxxxx

Jim tailed closely behind Aisha in his Efrau II, staying out of sight from the fighter ship. He had guessed right that Aisha would have fled to this city, but had been surprised to find a C'tarl-C'tarl fighter ship. He followed it and found just he had been looking for.

Jim had since hacked his way into the fighter ship's computer from his laptop while he was driving. He had made sure to jam their communication with the Ortahone'hone or whatever mother ship was hovering overhead. From there, it was just a few easy steps to deactivate their weapons and their controls.

Aisha was left astonished when the fighter ship came to a crash behind her. She pulled the car to a halt, got out and looked to see what had happened. When she stood, she noticed the Efrau II, and her heart leapt and sunk at the same time.

Jim stepped out of his car, and gave a weak smile.

"Hello, Aisha."

Aisha's eyes widened. "Jim, look out!"

Behind him, two C'tarl-C'tarl warriors leapt from the flaming wreckage.

Jim had already anticipated the action. With each hand, he reached into his coat pockets, rolled onto his back facing the oncoming C'tarl, and whipped out two pistols, each loaded with armor piercing shells.

He fired.

Both only grazed their targets, but it gave Aisha just the edge she needed to take on two fresh C'tarl soldiers.

She nailed the first one square in the face with her elbow, smashing his visor and sending him flying. Before he could travel far, Aisha grabbed his leg and swung him over her shoulder, slamming him three feet into the ground.

The first one had been caught off guard, but the second was a ready for her. She locked arms with him, wrapped in a furious wrestling match. The asphalt erupted under their feet, as each C'tarl fought to gain leverage. Their nails dug into one another, their teeth flashed, growls of rage erupting from either side.

By now, Jim had gotten to his feet, and was standing in the sidelines, silently rooting for Aisha. He knew he had nothing to contribute to the battle, and stayed as far away as possible. But then the battle really got heated up.

Both giant cats transformed into raging beasts. Aisha's clothes ripped and the other's visor and silver body armor disintegrated in favor of much more primal outerwear. All at once, two furry, clawed animals were tackling, biting and clawing each other like crazy.

Jim couldn't even tell who was who. The two wild tigers lashed and fought until the asphalt began to crumble underneath them. If they continued to fight like this, Jim realized, the street would begin to fall apart. He watched in growing anticipation as the two cats pummeled each other until, finally, they came to what appeared to be a draw.

The two stood each other off, standing a good distance apart. Both were bleeding and panting, and staring at each other with a look that came to about as much of the epitome of hatred as living beings could possibly emulate.

Then one of them just ran off.

Jim stared in astonishment, as he witnessed a C'tarl actually back down from a fight. That was something he had never witnessed before. He looked at the straggler, who sat down, curled into a ball, and slowly morphed back into Aisha.

Jim approached her. She was completely bare and ragged, breathing hard, and bleeding in too many areas to count.

But she was alive.

"Jim?" a weak voice said.

Jim put a comforting hand on her head. "Relax, Aisha. You did well. Come on…I'll take you home."

Aisha let out a prolonged sigh, before letting her eyes drop shut. "Thank you."

xxxxx

Fortunately, nursing a C'tarl-C'tarl back to health wasn't particularly complicated. As it turned out, being an immortal meant that the body was fully capable of regenerating itself. All it needed was the blood sugar to do so. Which basically meant that the object of Aisha's revitalizing consisted of pretty much just one thing:

Food.

Jim watched with no less awe than the first time, as Aisha put away not one, not two, but twenty bowls of udon noodles. That was before guzzling down five glasses of water, before finishing it off with a huge, no, make that "enormous" bowl of ice cream.

"I'll never get over the sheer quantity that a C'tarl-C'tarl eats," Jim sighed, checking his wallet for funds. "I have to pay for food, you know."

Aisha smiled. "I know. Aren't I worth it?"

Jim sighed. "I'm not answering that."

Aisha shrugged and went back to eating.

Jim waited for her to finish, clearing her bowl, and taking it to the kitchen to wash off.

"Well, now that that's through, I'm gonna go take a nap," Aisha announced, slinking away.

"You left, Aisha," Jim said, bluntly.

Aisha stopped in her tracks. She didn't look back. She just stood there.

"You left without saying a word," Jim said. "I mean…if you wanted to leave, I wouldn't have stopped you. But…you didn't even say goodbye."

Aisha lowered her ears. "Jim…can we…not talk about it?"

Jim shrugged. "We're gonna have to, eventually. But if you wanna wait…that's okay…"

Aisha sighed. "Thank you."

She left walked upstairs without saying another word.

xxxxx

"So, she's still not talking about it?" Gene said over the telecommunication device.

It was the next day, and Jim was making no progress with Aisha. Said cat girl had stepped out for the day (Jim had towed her car back the night he found her on the Efrau), with the promise of return. Jim was biding his time catching up with this old partner.

"Yeah. I mean, every time I so much as mention it, she just shakes her head and walks away."

Melfina frowned, evidently concerned. "Poor Aisha…she's in love, but she still can't let herself truly feel it."

Jim shook his head, pushing his feelings aside. "My love life can wait, Mel; Aisha and I have much more pressing matters to attend to."

"Oh?" Gene queried.

"The night we last spoke, Aisha and I just barely scooted out of an attack from the C'tarl-C'tarl Empire. It turns out Aisha's still wanted. I managed to hack their system and throw them off our trail, but it won't take them long to find us again."

Gene frowned. "Hmm…this is bad. The C'tarl are persistent about their justice system. The only thing I can suggest would be to haul tail and run for a different system. But even then, you're still not out of the woods."

Jim nodded. "I came to the same conclusion. I just can't think of anything else we _can_ do."

Melfina frowned. "If only there was some way we could convince the C'tarl to stop tracking you…"

Gene closed his eyes, thinking. After a moment, Jim could see a smile forming on his lips.

"Ok, Jim…here's what we'll do…"

xxxxx

Aisha woke up that morning to strange sounds coming from downstairs. She opened her door (Actually Jim's door, but she had been living in it for so long, she had began to think of it as her own) and looked around.

Jim was not in the kitchen as usual. Still, the noise persisted. Curious as a kitten, Aisha crept downstairs to see what it was.

When she made it to the first floor, she didn't see anything. The noise was coming from behind the desk, so she cautiously peeked around it to see what was going on.

What she found was a trapdoor that led into a basement of sorts. The sounds were coming from there.

Aisha poked her head in the hole and looked around.

Sure enough, there was Jim, working like a beaver on one of what looked like fifteen separate computer modules.

"Good morning," Jim said, matter of a factly. "This is where I keep most of my computer equipment. I'm cleaning it up a bit and clearing some space."

Aisha climbed down the ladder, looking around. "What is this place?"

"This foundation used to be a safe house for pirate raids," Jim shrugged. "Most shops around here were once safe houses. You seal that trap door, and nothing short of an air to ground missile will penetrate it."

"Is there any reason we're down here then?" Aisha wondered.

Jim stood up form his work. "The other night, you fought like a demon. But that was only against two soldiers. What happens when the guy who got away tells his commanders that he failed?"

Aisha shrugged. "He'll be punished for his failure."

Jim blinked. "Well…I mean _after_ that."

"They'll send more next time."

Jim nodded. "Do you think you're up to snuff to take on _four_ C'tarl soldiers? Or six? Or eight?"

Aisha blinked. "So, what does this have to do with us being down here?"

Jim smiled, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "Training."

xxxxx

"It's called a drone," Jim said as Aisha inspected a metal spherical droid that lay motionless on Jim's worktable. "It hovers in the air and fires low charge blasts at you."

Aisha frowned. "C'tarl don't use guns. They use their fists."

"Still, it'll give you a much better workout than, say, me," Jim shrugged, handing her the drone. "The idea is for you to dodge the blasts its fires without being hit. And it's a tough little bugger, so feel free to manhandle it as much as you want."

Aisha gripped the machine tightly. "We'll see about that…"

Before Jim could protest, she pitched the drone like a baseball as hard as she could into the far wall. It rang the basement with a clatter and left a significant dent, before sliding out and landing on the floor.

"Aisha…do me a favor and…try to avoid doing that…" Jim sighed.

"What?" Aisha exclaimed. "I thought you said it was durable."

"It is. My walls, on the other hand…" Jim motioned to the dent the drone had left. "…Aren't."

Aisha smiled. "Uh…sorry…"

xxxxx

Over the next few days, Aisha was kept on a strict schedule. No more sleeping in, no more sweets (almost), and lots and lots of weight training.

Jim gawked after finding Aisha in his garage bench-pressing her car.

"Wow…Aisha, that's…"

"This…" Aisha said, lowering the car gently to the ground. "…Is nothing!"

This was confirmed the next day when Jim and Aisha drove three hours to the uncivilized wilderness of Stratus, where huge mountain peeks crested the sky.

"And what exactly are we doing here?" Jim asked.

Aisha just smiled. "This is the way C'tarl-C'tarl actually train."

Aisha then proceeded to destroy half the mountain with her bare fists, punching and smashing and demolishing solid rock in a matter of minutes. Enormous hunks of rock simply shatter under her unrepressed might. Her muscles rippled endlessly, until, an hour later, the largest mountain in the area was now the smallest.

"I'm hungry," Aisha declared, brushing her hands, and going back to the car for the picnic they had prepared.

Jim, for his part, just sort of stared at her handiwork. "Wow… Just…wow…"

xxxxx

Jim watched as Aisha ducked and dodged blaster fire from the drones in the basement of his shop. There were three drones now, each repeatedly firing at a steady interval. The object was to travel from one end of the room to the other without getting hit, and then landing a blow onto the drones. Aisha was progressing faster than the difficulty level on the drones could follow, and Jim was hard pressed to build more drones to add to the difficulty.

The ducking and dodging made Aisha's mind work harder than it had in years, calculating multiple targets, trying to angle around them, and figure her moves around them. It also sculpted her body into a more lithe agile form as she twisted and contorted her body in abstract and complicated ways in order to dodge. Many times, Jim was sure that she had pulled a muscle or a strained a ligament, but Aisha just shrugged it off with a laugh and a smile, and redoubled her efforts.

And it wasn't just exercise; now, instead of eating cake and ice cream every day, she had winnowed herself down to once a week (Jim felt she deserved the treat). Beyond that, it was nothing but protein, fiber, calcium, vitamins and minerals. She still ate the same quantities, of course, she was still a C'tarl. But now, she had perfected herself both in mind and in body.

And it paid off.

Before, she was gorgeous and strong. Now, she was all that times a hundred. Now, she was athletic and flexible. Now, instead of an eye for how good something would taste if she were to eat it, she was sizing it up, ready for a fight. Her instincts and reactions were top notch, and to top it off, her mind had become more tuned for combat, and she was beating Jim more and more often at his own video games.

"How come you could never beat me before?" Jim demanded, astounded at his low score.

"I'm just better than you Jim," Aisha would just smile.

xxxxx

One day, Aisha was training herself as usual, when a thought occurred to her (She had them now and then).

"Hey, Jim?" She said, shutting down her training drone. "I may be in tip top condition, but what about you? If we end up getting split up, you alone against even one C'tarl soldier won't be much of a fight."

Jim ticked. "I seem to remember schooling you in the alleyway the day we ran into each other."

Aisha snorted. "Oh, posh! I was barely even trying. You caught me off guard. And besides, now I'm twice as strong as any C'tarl soldier."

Jim smiled. "That sounds like a challenge to me."

Aisha licked her lips. "That's because it was a challenge, Terran boy!"

"Oh, getting feisty now, are we?" Jim smiled. He got out of his seat by his computer, shrugged out of his traditional blue jacket, leaving just a tank top underneath, revealing two surprisingly well developed arms and stood to his full height of 5'6". He meandered so that he was facing her, cracking his neck. "This ought to be good."

Aisha harrumphed, cracking her knuckles. "Just try not to cry when I kick your butt, alright?"

Jim smirked. "Keep dreaming, Aisha."

Aisha didn't bother to retort again, before flipping over in the air, landing right behind Jim, prepared to catch him with his back turned.

Before she could land a blow (A mere love tap by C'tarl standards, but enough to knock him down), Jim's whole body seemed to sink downward, as he rolled under Aisha's legs, before regaining his feet behind her.

Aisha turned just in time to catch his fist in hers.

Jim just smiled. "I don't go down easily, Aisha."

Aisha smirked back at him. "Keep saying it. It might just come true."

Aisha used her grip on his fist to flip him over her head at a nearby wall. But he managed to twist himself in midair to catch the wall on his feet, springing back, using the wall to propel himself back at her.

Still in midair, Jim delivering a kick that would have left her wobbling had it landed. Instead, he landed squarely on her defending arm, and sprung backwards, cart wheeling in midair, and landed on his feet, just in time to throw himself backwards before Aisha's swinging arm struck him. He landed on one hand, turning his body over and delivering two kicks, one with each leg, which Aisha blocked with her left arm.

Aisha's attacks were furious and unrelenting. But Jim's less than towering size and nimble form, as well as a surprising amount of agility that rivaled Aisha's kept him out of harms way.

Of course, Jim had no chance of winning. None of his moves even had the slightest chance of hurting her. And eventually, he found his arms pinned to the ground, with Aisha straddling his hips, pinning him to the ground.

"Game over, Jim," Aisha growled, playfully.

Jim smirked. "I wouldn't go that far."

Aisha licked her lips, panting despite herself. "Forget it, Jim. I've got you right where I want you."

Jim leered back at her, his eyes on fire. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

Jim slid his arms outward along the ground. Aisha's hands, still clutching his wrists, moved outward with them, and drew her body closer to his, closing the distance between them.

Before she could react, Jim was kissing her.

That was all it took. Aisha didn't think. The adrenaline, the energy, the primal drive that kept her moving all let go. She released his hold on him and grabbed his face, returning the kiss with a passionate fire, devouring his lips in a torrent of lust, hunger, and pent up rage and frustration.

Jim could only return her passion, letting his hands run through her sand colored hair, letting the girl he loved eat away at his soul, little by little.

Aisha's eyes refocused and she broke the kiss. "…No."

Jim's eyes closed, and he lowered his head. "Aisha…"

"No!"

Aisha threw herself off of him, rising to her feet, a look of betrayal in her eyes. "Jim, we already talked about this! You _know_ why we can't do this!"

"It doesn't matter…"

"What?"

"It doesn't matter, I said!" Jim yelled, climbing to his feet. "Look…Gene and Mel have been together for seven years, and they're not having problems like this!"

"What does _that_ have to do with anything!"

"Mel is immortal too, Aisha!" Jim screamed. "They got through it! We can too!"

"Melfina? She's…she's immortal?" Aisha blinked. Brushing the thought aside, she shook her head. "That's not the same! That was Mel's choice to make! Melfina made her choice, Jim…you can't ask me to make that choice too!"

Jim nodded. "You're right. I can't. Only you can make that choice, Aisha. All I can do is tell you that I love you…and that I know you love me back."

Aisha bit her lip, tears flowing freely down her cheek. "Jim…"

That's when the explosions started.

xxxxx

Jim and Aisha had about thirty seconds to prepare for the onslaught before it came. There were three fighter ships, each with two ground based C'tarl-C'tarl warriors ready to spring into action.

Jim opened a hatch in the side of the basement wall and removed a full arsenal of weaponry. Armor piercing rounds for every kind of gun available, from machine guns to sniper rifles. He even had a reconstructed castor, with five shells on hand.

Aisha, still uneasy with their previous discussion, sighed, nervously. "Jim…we may not get out of this alive…"

Jim squeezed his fist shut, his castor held loosely in the other. "If we don't…" He turned his gaze to her. "Then I'm glad you'll have known the truth first."

Jim loaded a shell into the castor and holstered it.

xxxxx

Three of the six C'tarl soldiers poured into the shop. Jim had taken the time to withhold all orders on customer's vehicles, so the only cars in the garage were his and Aisha's. Still, every second the C'tarl were in his shop, Jim knew that he risked damaging his wares.

A smoke canister sailed out of the lower hatch and into the waiting room where the C'tarl stalked. The canister shot out offensive fumes, which stung the cat's eyes and cut off their sense of smell.

Jim was out of the hole in an instant, letting round after round off into the invading group, a gas masked affixed securely to his face.

He dropped two of the three targets, but the third found Jim before he could let off another shot. The C'tarl soldier grabbed the gun out of Jim's hands and crushed it, glaring at the boy, his eyes watering with the stinging gas. He dropped the gun and seized Jim by the collar, tearing off the boy's gas mask, exposing his face to the greenish gas.

The soldier brought Jim's face right up to his own.

"Where's the outcast, boy!" the soldier hissed.

Jim smiled, squinting through the noxious fog. "Right behind you…"

The soldier had a second to blink, before Aisha's balled fists came down on his head, knocking him out.

She pulled Jim up and smiled. "That's three down…"

Jim nodded, wiping gas induced tears from his eyes. "But the other three have the ships. Plus, reinforcements will be coming after these guys haven't checked in successful."

Aisha cracked her knuckles, smiling. "Then let's not give them a chance to."

The two of them rushed outside, to see three C'tarl fighter ships bearing down on them.

"Aisha Clan-Clan!" came the loudspeaker voice. "In the name of the C'tarl-C'tarl Empire-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm under arrest!" Aisha taunted, flinging her mask off, unneeded. Under her breath, she hissed. "Jim, I'm the one they want. If I keep them going, do you think you can disable their weapons?"

Jim whipped out his computer. "Consider it done."

Aisha leapt forward, transforming into her werecat form. All three fighter ships, unconcerned with the Terran she was with, unloaded their fire at her, trying to disable her.

She dodged left and right, silently thanking all her days of training; had she not been prepared for this, she would have taken far too many hits to continue. But now, she was ducking and dodging bullets like it was nobody's business, always ahead of their line of fire by five steps, as Jim tapped away at his computer.

Before, hacking into their system had been easier – there was only one ship. But now, there were three. So Jim had to find a way to get into all three, before triggering the deactivation signal. He couldn't do it one at a time, because the system would recognize it when he triggered the first one, and he wouldn't be able to deactivate the other two.

But finally, he did. Instantly, all three stopped firing.

Aisha grinned inwardly, before turning around to face them off guard, springing up into the air, flipping as she transformed back into a catgirl, before landing on top of the C'tarl fighter ship.

Clawing her way over the surface, she sunk her fist into the fuselage and tore out the ships primary engine circuit. The ship immediately began to fall, as Aisha leapt off, landing on a nearby building, jumping down and watching the ship hit the ground and explode.

Not a second later, the soldier who had been inside the ship sprung out, immediately tackling Aisha. She took the barrage at full force, returning the punishment a hundred times over.

As the other two ships hovered, confused at their predicament, one of them became even more confused as a missile came flying up to it, blowing it into shreds of shrapnel, incinerating the soldier inside.

Standing fifty feet below, Jim dropped the missile launcher he had just fired and darted out of sight.

Aisha let out a primeval roar as she flung her adversary into a wall, shattering bricks and mortar. Such a blow would have killed a Terran instantly, but the C'tarl soldier was merely stunned. Aisha took advantage of the lag by ripping him out of the wall, and sinking her teeth into his neck, ripping out the C'tarl's jugular vein.

Aisha spat fowl fluid from her mouth, wiping her face of the soldier's red juicy froth. She immediately leapt up to the remaining fighter ships, clinging to it the way she had the other. But this time, it was ready for her.

Out the side hatch, the soldier came out bearing an electro-taser. Before Aisha could react, he had hit her with the cable, jolting her with ten thousand gigawatts of power, sending her careening downward, crashing into the ground.

Jim was instantly at her side. "AISHA!"

He took her into his arms, checking her pulse. It was frantic and irregular, but she was alive.

"Aisha! Speak to me!" he demanded

Aisha's eyes opened. "Heh…I guess C'tarl do use guns after all. I'm fine, Jim…I just need a…little…nap…"

Aisha's eyes fell shut, and Jim felt a gloomy shadow step closer to him them; the last C'tarl soldier.

"Step away from the exile, boy!" the soldier demanded. "This is your last warning."

Jim stood up, holding Aisha's prone form in his arms. "You want her…you go through me…"

The soldier cracked his knuckles. "You asked for it, kid…"

Jim closed his eyes, preparing for the beat down of his life. If he'd wanted, he could have dodged the soldier effortlessly, but that would have defeated the purpose. The soldier was after Aisha; there was nothing Jim could do to defend her.

Jim opened his eyes, and saw what he refused to believe.

The soldier lay motionless on the ground. And over him, a white robed, dual boken wielding lady samurai stood.

"_Niito-ryu, san sei,_" she announced her move without turning her head.

Jim blinked. "Suzuka?"

She turned and smiled. "Hello, Jim. Gene told me you were in a bit of trouble, and I happened to be in the neighborhood…"

Jim sighed, collapsing to his knees, Aisha still unconscious in his arms. "Thanks, Suzuka."

Suzuka sighed, gravely. "Don't thank me yet…that was just the begging."

Jim looked up to where she was pointing.

"Oh my god…" he muttered.

At least a dozen C'tarl fighter ships were heading their way. They were about a thousand feet away, dropping from the sky like hornets closing in on their prey.

Jim shuddered. Aisha didn't have anything left. In terms of armaments, Jim was virtually exhausted, aside from his castor shells, which might take out five C'tarl. Maybe.

Suzuka sheathed her twin swords. "Don't worry, Jim…we've got reinforcements of out own."

Jim had about two seconds to blink when he finally saw it.

The Outlaw Star came bursting out of the sky.

xxxxx

"Alright guys, let's do it, just the way we planned it," Gene smiled, grinning eagerly out the cockpit window.

"Gene, be careful," Melfina said from within the navigation tube. "It's been years since we've had a battle like this."

"That's why I'm so anxious!" Gene announced. "You ready, kids?"

Sitting in Aisha and Suzuka's old seats were a boy and girl of six years of age. Each had maroon colored hair, the perfect blend of Gene's crimson and Melfina's pure onyx.

"Ready!" they both said, excitedly.

"Alright then," Gene smiled. "Here we go!"

"Preparing for atmospheric combat," Gilliam announced.

The familiar glow from the grappler computer readout flooded the vision in Gene's right eye, as a full-scale map of the battlefield lay before him. A dozen small ships, each armed with a gattling gun and numerous harpoons and tow cables veered off their original course and spread out around the XGP.

The Outlaw Star's grappler arms jettisoned out from the hull of the ship. Since Jim left, Gene had made some upgrades. There was an additional joint in the grappler arms of the ship, making them bend into three parts. There was also a hydraulic spring gauge loaded into each of them, to give them a snapping thrust, like a snake striking its target.

The right arm grabbed its weapon, a scaled up version of the gun they had used above the Leyline. It was twin barreled, with a magnesium nitrate compound added to the bullets, giving them an acidic burn. All the gunner had to do was nick it's target, and the hole left by the bullet would start to corrode and wither away, until the entire target fell apart. And Gene had been showing his son, Jace, the ropes of gun fighting since the boy could walk.

Not to be outdone, the left arm was equipped with an elongated scimitar, a tenth of the weight of its predecessor and twice the cutting power. And Jenna, Gene and Mel's daughter, had practiced under Suzuka's tutelage ever since she could hold a sword.

Indeed, the twins were as adept as the ships armaments. Both children were prodigious, vastly capable beyond their years. At six years of age, they were already fighters in their own right. As the children of a bio android, they were also capable of assimilating with the ship from where they each sat, transforming their will into the grappler arms movement.

By the time the C'tarl ships began revising their tactics, their number had been cut in half.

"Good shooting, Jace," Gene smiled. "Make sure to lead the target; these fighter ships move quickly."

"Jenna, remember what Suzuka told you about fighting multiple enemies: keep every last one in mind, and plan at least three moves ahead," Melfina said from her navigation tube.

Both children were too immersed to answer, each one concentrating too hard on their targets. They each had the same optical monitor that Gene had, as their eyes shimmered with the computer readouts as a thousands bits of information flooded their vision in an instant.

Jenna and Jace each managed to nail one more C'tarl ship, before the last four fighter ships began to encircle the Outlaw Star, outside of Jenna's range. Before Jace could fire any more shots, all of the fighter ships fired their harpoons into the XGP, tethering the Outlaw Star in place.

"Warning, the enemy ships are attempting to hack the ship," Gilliam acknowledged.

"I'll take care of them, Gene," Melfina intoned.

"Do it," Gene smiled.

Melfina prodded at the virus program, before completely overwhelming it with thought processes, confusing it, and finally, completely reprogramming it. Before the C'tarl ships knew what hit them, their computers shut down, leaving the ships dead in the air.

"Take this!" Gene shouted, taking the XGP into a barrel roll, spinning the fighter ships around him on their wires like an amusement park ride. Eventually, the centrifugal force snapped the lines, and each of the ships were flung away from the Outlaw Star, crashing into the city below.

xxxxx

Jim just about passed out when he saw the XGP appear. He almost really did after it took out the entire swarm of fighter ships all by itself.

"Wow…" he muttered. "I…I forgot how powerful that ship was…"

Suzuka, still standing by Jim's side, just smiled. "We've really missed you, Jim. Some of us more than others."

Jim looked up from the catgirl snoring on his lap. "What do you mean?"

Suzuka nodded to Aisha. "Aisha was never really the same after you left. She was moody, grouchy, and would snap at anyone who spoke to her."

Jim laughed. "So, in other words, she was her same old lovable self?"

"Even more so," Suzuka corrected. "Eventually, she left, declaring that she couldn't stand any of us anymore. But Melfina and I could tell that the only thing that was really getting to her was missing you."

Jim frowned. "She…she really missed me that much?"

Suzuka nodded. "Gene told me about the…problem between you two."

Jim shrugged. "I told her what Gene told me, but Aisha didn't go for it. She may seem like the carefree type, but something as serious as this…she's not going to just ignore the fact that I'm getting older and she's not."

Suzuka sighed. "She _is_ getting older, Jim. Just not as quickly. Gene's ideas aren't always the best, but in this case, his judgment sounds good to me. But if you can't convince her to accept things as they are…then I'm afraid that things won't be very easy for you two."

Jim sighed, stroking the catgirl's hair in his lap.

"Mel was right," Suzuka said with a smile. "You have gotten taller."

xxxxx

Afterward, the ship docked, and Suzuka had assisted Jim and Aisha to the dock where everyone met inside the XGP.

It was quite a reunion after that. Melfina simply wouldn't stop hugging Jim, to the point where her kids began to get jealous and cranky over her attention.

"Sorry Jim," Melfina said, hugging him one last time. "The twins need me now."

Jim had been blushing the whole time his head had been buried in her chest. Childbearing, it seemed, had markedly affected on her bosom.

Jim sighed, stepping over to his old partner. "Hey, Gene."

Gene smiled, ruffling his hair. "Wow, man…you really have sprung up."

Jim gave him a thumb's up. "5'6" and still growing!"

Gene laughed. Then he noticed something. "Is that a castor you're packing there?" he pointed to Jim's belt.

Jim smiled, holding up the weapon for Gene to see. "Check it out."

Gene held it before him, aiming it, cocking and uncocking it, and checking the feel. "Where did you _find_ this thing? This thing's gotta have a knock-back of, like…nothing!"

Jim smiled. "Found it in an old weapon mechanic's junk pile. Said he didn't need it anymore, it was broken. But after working with yours all those years, I knew enough about them to fix it up and make some modifications."

Gene handed the relic back to its owner. "You don't say…"

Jim smiled. "So…I'm glad to see things are working out for you and Mel."

Gene winked. "You better believe it. You've met the kids, right?"

Jim shrugged. "Sort of…"

Gene whistled sharply. "Jenna! Jace! Front and center!"

Like little soldiers, the twins marched up and stood up straight to stand next to their father.

"Alright, Jim, this is Jenna," Gene patted his daughter's head. "And Jace," he patted his son's head.

The kids muttered their weak "hi's," while clinging to their father's leg, evidently shy.

"Kids, this is your uncle Jim," Gene smiled, winking at Jim.

Jim waved hi. The name sounded good to him.

"Gene! Oh Gene! Don't forget about me!" came a low, robotic voice.

Jim gawked as a pink drone popped up on Gene's shoulder.

"Gilliam!" Jim shouted, snatching the drone from the outlaw's shoulder. "Wow! I never thought I'd get to see you again!"

"It's quite nice to see you too, Jim," the drone said, waving its tiny toothpick arms. "The way Gene treats me has not gotten any better over the years."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Just be glad you don't have to put up with Aisha."

The drone's eyes closed in relief. "It's thoughts like that which get me through the day."

Melfina, now relieved from her duty of cleaning up whatever it was that Jenna and Jace had made a mess of, enveloped Jim in another mother bear hug. Jim tried to return the gesture as appropriately as he could, while silently wondering if he'd made the smartest choice in choosing his life mates.

"Aisha is doing well," said Suzuka as she stepped into the main room. Aisha had been given back her old room, as well as Jim and Suzuka.

"That's good to hear," Jim nodded. "Now, all it'll take is lots of food, time, more food, some exercise and oh, did I mention food?"

"Attention!" The Gilliam drone waved its arms around. "There are C'tarl-C'tarl fighter ships approaching the dock!"

"What?" Gene hollered. "Those C'tarl don't let up!"

Instantly, everyone was rushing to the cockpit.

"Get us in the air, Gilliam!" Gene demanded. "And give me a number."

"Scanners are picking up sixty ships, sir."

"Sixty!" Jim demanded. "There's no way we'll be able to take on that many!"

Gene smiled. "You underestimate my babies, Jim."

Jim thought that through. "Which babies?"

Gene waved to Melfina, his kids, and to the ship. "All of them!"

xxxxx

The last modification Gene had made to the Outlaw Star was installing a second set of grappler arms, like the El Dorado. Now, with four arms, two on top and two beneath, each of Gene's children controlled two on either side, like two people fighting back to back.

Jace, now using his dominant arm to fire and his left to brace the gun, was accurate almost a hundred percent of the time, nailing every one of his targets with his first shots, destroying them with his second.

Jenna, not to be outdone, now had two swords, inspired from Suzuka's _nito-ryu_, or "twin blade technique," and required only a single pass in order to cripple a foe.

The entire swarm of sixty fighter ships was obliterated in as many seconds.

"Impressively done, Jenna," Suzuka smiled after things cooled down. "You've grown quite strong in your swordsmanship. One day, I'm certain you'll surpass even me."

Jenna got up out of her seat and bowed her head. "Thank you sensei."

"Awesome, Gene," Jim said from his seat up front. "Think now is a good time to initiate the last part of our plan?"

Gene smiled. "Guess so. They've got to be running out of fighter ships by now."

Jim laughed. "Just get me close enough to their mother ship."

Gene smiled. "You got it."

Jim winked over to Jace. "You ready, Jace? Why don't you watch your uncle Jim work?"

The boy, a techie in his own right, hopped out of his chair to watch as Jim hacked his way into the Ortahone'hone's computer network.

xxxxx

The crowds aboard the Ortahone'hone were furious. Much to the disbelief of many, the C'tarl-C'tarl were a democratic society, though in the Greek sense – namely, that power stemmed from the mob.

Whatever the people demanded, the commanding officer was obliged to obey. Sure, they could influence the masses as only a leader could, but overall, the opinion of the mob was rule.

"Send more ships! Send more ships! Send more ships!"

To which the leader could only reply. "There are no more ships to send! If we are to continue to search for the outlaw Aisha Clan-Clan, then we must regroup!"

But the crowds were unrelenting. "Send more ship! Send more ships!"

That was when the huge plasma screen displaying the commander's face went fuzzy and was replaced by that of a familiar red headed outlaw.

"Hi guys," Gene said, smartly. "I'm Gene Starwind. I'm the pilot of the XGP that just destroyed all your fighter ships just now."

There was stirring among the crowds. Contrary to years prior, Gene's name had traveled far and wide, earning him a title to be reckoned with in all circles, Space Forces, Pirates and Outlaws. And the C'tarl were no exception.

"Here's the thing: Aisha Clan-Clan's an old friend of mine, and I don't like how you guys are messing with her. So why don't you just run along home and forget about her, and we can all get along better, okay? What do you say?"

The reaction was unanimous.

"Gene Starwind? The legendary outlaw who destroyed the Anten Seven! He's here! We're all gonna die!"

Before long, the masses had very plainly instructed that the C'tarl-C'tarl Empire drop the bounty on Aisha's head and turn the Ortahone'hone right around and head back to C'tarl space.

Jim watched in awe as the single most powerful empire in the galaxy turned tail and ran in awe of Gene Starwind.

"Wow…it worked…" Jim gasped.

"Hey, no sweat, man!" Gene smiled. "I'm the baddest bounty hunter in the galaxy!"

"Now, Gene…" Melfina chided. "Try not to get a big head over this."

Suzuka sighed. "Like it could get any bigger?"

"Hey, shut up!" Gene shot back.

The kids merely laughed.

Jim snickered. Here he was, the "baddest bounty hunter in the galaxy," taking shots from people like him. Life was certainly strange around Gene Starwind.

And it was certainly about to get stranger.

xxxxx

It took Aisha another few days to fully recover. Just like before, all she really needed was food. Thankfully, Gene had been willing to lend a hand. Or, more specifically, Melfina had been willing to lend a hand while Gene could only complain about it.

After she was well enough to stand, Gene and Mel welcomed everyone at their table for a reunion dinner of sorts.

Jim sat, embarrassed. Here they were, sitting in the galley of a ship. He lived here on Stratus, in his own house, and he didn't even have a dinning area big enough to fit seven, whereas Gene had enough for that on his ship alone.

Melfina had prepared a mountain of food, as she had been for the last several days. It was difficult to see over it, but it disappeared fairly quickly thanks to Aisha, and dinner conversation was able to proceed smoothly.

"So, what have you been doing here on Stratus the past few years, Jim?" Melfina asked, politely.

Jim shrugged. "The same thing I did at Starwind and Hawking. Worked on auto repairs, mostly. I reconstructed my old car and came up with something pretty sweet."

Aisha swallowed a mouthful of food and smiled. "So, Suzu, how's life been treating you these days?"

Suzuka's eyebrow twitched. "What did I say about calling me that?"

Everyone else just laughed.

"Seriously though, Suzuka," Jim pondered. "When did you adopt the dual sword technique?"

Suzuka shrugged. "I had learned all there was to learn about the _ito-ryu_, so I decided to pursue a new agenda, and began studying the _niito-ryu_."

Jim nodded. "So, Jenna's been taking lessons from you?"

Jenna, usually as quiet as a mouse, perked up. "Every day. Suzuka-sensei has taught me everything I know about swords."

Jace, evidently jealous of his sister being the center of attention for even that brief time, tugged at Jim's sleeve.

"Uncle Jim? How did you manage to get into that big ship's computer system? The most I've ever gotten into was a fast food chain's system."

Jim smiled, patting the boy on the head. "Practice, practice, practice…and some kick-ass equipment doesn't hurt either."

Melfina put her fork down. "Jim, the kids don't need to be learning that kind of language this early."

Jim cringed. "Whoops…sorry…"

The boy smiled. "Can you show me later?"

Jim crossed his arms in pride. "Sure."

"So, Gene's a daddy now, huh?" Aisha chuckled, picking her teeth. A huge pile of bones and crusts and various other signs of a feast having very recently been mauled lay before her on the table. "Guess that makes me your Aunt Aisha now, huh Jenny?"

Aisha made a big smiley face at the little girl next to her.

Jenna paused for a moment, before throwing her arms around Aisha, a look of glee on her face.

Jim chuckled. "Heh…Gene's been the best friend in the world to me. It only makes sense that he'd make a great dad."

Melfina nodded, wrapping an arm around her husband, resting her head on his shoulder. "Oh, he is. He's been nothing less than wonderful these past few years."

Gene laughed. "Hey, come on, guys! You're making me blush!"

That got a laugh out of everyone.

"Well, I can't take all the credit," Gene sighed, giving Melfina's rump a playful pinch. "Mel did most of the work, after all. I just made it possible."

Melfina blushed, profusely. "Oh, Gene…you're just impossible!"

Everyone was laughing, when Aisha's face turned downcast.

"And what happens when he dies?"

Jim, Melfina, Suzuka, the kids, everyone just looked up and stared at her.

"Aisha," Jim muttered. "Not at the table-"

"What happens, Melfina?" Aisha continued. "When the person you love just…leaves you?"

Melfina took a deep breath, before smiling back at her. "That's not going to happen, Aisha."

Aisha just blinked. "And just how won't it happen?"

Gene gestured to himself with his thumb. "I'm gonna live forever!"

All eyes were on Aisha as she let out a prolonged sigh.

"God… You idiot…"

She got up from the table and left the galley.

There was a long pause, before Jim stood up. "I'm sorry…could you excuse me please?"

He didn't wait for an answer, as he left the cabin and meandered around the halls of the Outlaw Star until he found Aisha sobbing in her old room.

"Go away!" Aisha cried, her face in her arms as she lay on her front on her bed.

Jim closed the door behind him. "I'm not going anywhere, Aisha. We need to talk."

"Not now!" Aisha declared.

"Then when?" Jim asked, calmly. "Every time I bring it up, you put it off. Not talking about it won't make it go away."

Aisha just kept sobbing. Jim came forward and stroked her back. Aisha cringed, knowing full well what she felt in that single contact. She knew what would happen next, and dreaded the elated reaction that arose against her will, and feared what that reaction would only confirm.

She purred.

Aisha purred, hungry, pleading, and desperate. His touch was like a fire that wouldn't die down, and burned brighter with each lasting second. Aisha was crying now, not because of Gene's lighthearted treatment of a situation that tortured her at every waking moment, but because of the fear that deep down inside, she could not escape her own emotions that threatened to overtake her calloused will.

Aisha's eyes lifted and she stared hard at Jim, her eyes full of tears.

"Gene isn't going to live forever, Jim…and neither will you."

Jim looked back at her, feeling the deep satisfied purr rumble through her as his touch made her insides echo with delight. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms.

"Gene and I talked about this. We debated and rattled off solution after solution, and after about three hours of arguing and rethinking, we came up with a pretty crazy answer. I kept saying no, but Gene was convinced that it would work. Want to hear it?"

Aisha blinked, evidently curious, though she knew by the God's she shouldn't be. If she were to hope at all…no, there was no hope. Any belief in it would only result in more pain at losing what was never there to begin with.

"Tell me…" she mumbled.

Jim smiled. "We find the Leyline again. And wish for immortality."

xxxxx

A/N: Ok, another cliffhanger, but not so evil this time I think. This last idea came to me in the spur of a moment, and instantly, the conclusion of this story came to mind. It's going to take at least another chapter to complete, so while you wait, I hope you've enjoyed this latest installment.

I really liked the idea of Gene and Mel having twins. I know, it's a really clichéd and outdone idea, but twin boy and girl characters have so many advantages to a story. They are very distinct characters, yet they still have an unparalleled link with each other, and they're the perfect solution for the unavoidable question "Should I give this character a son or a daughter?"

There was also the issue of Melfina bearing children. I figure, she's alive, right? She may be synthetic, but she should still be biological, and thus capable of reproduction. Since this issue was never really addressed in the series, I claim artistic license in this case.

I also liked the idea of updating everything from the XGP to Suzuka's _nito-ryu_ fighting style. The twins served well as experts in the respective fields of swordplay and marksmanship, making them ideal weapons handler on the Outlaw Star. I liked the idea of using the four grappler arms idea from the McDougal brothers. Also, Suzuka really needed an apprentice, and another lady samurai seemed appropriate. And since she had the whole predator/prey relationship going on with Gene, it only made sense that she would adopt his daughter as her disciple.

I was honestly hoping that Jim and Aisha's relationship would proceed farther in this chapter, but that will have to wait until later. Don't worry – it will happen, trust me. It's just that romance fics always have a way of happening too fast with me, so I want to take this one nice and slow and see how I do. Most of my Eva fan fic readers will attest to the fact that I write way too fast when it comes to relationships.

Anyway, thank you for reading and for your encouraging reviews.

I'm out.


	3. Chapter 3

Outlaw Star Fan Fiction

**Forgotten Embers**

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Three

xxxxx

It didn't take long to set Gene's plan into motion. The real task lay in the decision the children would have to make. After all, Melfina could no longer perform the task – she had been relieved of her duty as Maiden of the Leyline. But her son and daughter were two unaffected bio-androids, and were perfectly compatible with the Leyline.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Gene asked, unable to believe she would so liberally allow her children to be put through the same ordeal she did once, as the two of them were getting ready for bed that evening.

"I always knew that I hadn't seen the last of the Leyline, Gene," Melfina sighed, accepting but unhappy. "It's for the best that their "usefulness" to others would be for the sake of you and Jim, and not for some pirate or Outlaw's selfish desires."

Gene smiled, weakly. "And wishing for immortality isn't selfish?"

"Is it selfish to want to spend the rest of your life with the person you love?" Melifa countered. "It is both mine and Aisha's right to want to have you and Jim for as long as we live – and for that, you and Jim wishing for immortality isn't for yourselves alone, but for those you love as well."

Gene smiled. "Okay, well, that I understand…but still for little Jenna and Jace to be put inside the Leyline…"

Melfina shook her head. "If they don't want to, then we won't make them. But your children love you, Gene, and they're coming to love Jim as well. They would want you to live as long as they do as well."

Gene nodded. "Okay, Mel. As long as everyone's okay with this, then I'm happy."

Melfina smiled, awkwardly hugging him as they made their way down the hallway of the Outlaw Star. "I love you, Gene."

Gene kissed her delicately on the forehead. "Don't I know it…"

xxxxx

"Jenna, Jace," Gene began, sitting his kids down at the kitchen table bright and early the next morning. "Your mother and I have something very important to talk to you about."

The two maroon heads looked up at their parents, their innocent faces always wondering.

"Kids…" Melfina began. "Remember the stories we've always told you about the Leyline and the space pirates?"

The two kids nodded eagerly.

"Well, how would you like to go back to the same place and try it out for yourselves?"

The children looked awestruck.

"Could we! Could we really!" Jace yammered.

"Could we! Could we! Please!" Jenna added.

Gene smiled. "Trust a mother to get her kids excited about doing something death-defying."

Melfina chuckled. "Now, Jenna, Jace…it won't be all fun and games. It'll be hard work. You see the reason we're going is because we need you to do what I did seven years ago."

Jace and Jenna gave each other an ugly look, before turning the other way and sticking out their tongues, each going "Eww!"

"Does that mean I'm gonna have to kiss Jenna!"

"I don't wanna kiss Jace! He's icky!"

Gene practically burst out laughing. "They're perceptive, I'll give them that."

Melfina blushed. "Gene, what on Earth are they talking about?"

She started when Gene playfully pinched her butt. "You _do _remember when our first kiss was, don't you?"

Melfina forgot herself for a moment, blushing even further, before turning back to the kids. "No, no, no, nothing like that! You'll just get to go inside the machine, just like mommy did in the story! It'll be just like bonding with the ship like you do now."

Gene knelt down between the two and patted them each behind the back. "So, what do you say? That sound like something you want to do?"

The kids leapt in the air screaming.

xxxxx

It was a week after Jim had broken the news to Aisha about their big plan. Jim had officially withdrawn his add from the net, and finished up everything left in his garage, leaving his and Aisha's cars in long term parking, after making his final payment to his landlady.

Jim took one last look around the shop, eying its bare walls with some amount of disappointment, before closing his doors for the last time.

"You gonna miss it?" Aisha inquired, as Jim stepped out, locking the door.

"A little, yeah," Jim muttered. "Stratus has been home for the last 7 years, and the shop's been good to me from the get go." Jim hesitated, before he reached up and tussled Aisha's hair while her guard was down. "Tell you the truth, I miss the good old days even more. You know, when the whole crew was all together?"

Aisha returned his favor with interest, giving him a solid noogie. "Well, lucky for you, it looks like we'll all be together for one last round, huh?"

Jim shook loose. "It doesn't have to be our last round. I'm sure Gene would welcome us aboard for keeps if we so much as asked."

Aisha shrugged. "I know he would. But where would the fun be in life if all your needs were handed to you?"

Jim smiled. "You've got a point there. You know, that's pretty cool outlook on life, Aisha."

Aisha smiled. "Nyao!"

The two stood their, eying what had been their home. They had each discovered something about themselves in that place, both of them more than once. They had come realize their feelings for each other, if not consummated, and seen what a future could hold for them both if they stuck to it.

With hearts full of confusion and ambition, they turned to head back to the Outlaw Star.

xxxxx

"That about does it," Gene commented, wiping a rim of sweat lining his forehead.

Jace smiled back after screwing the last plate into place, pocketing the socket wrench. "We did good, Dad."

Gene chuckled. "You better believe it. Gilliam? Give it a whirl."

The little spherical computer screen lit up in confirmation. "Activating motors."

Gene and Jace stood back, as two seats slowly slid out from either side of the captain's seat, aft of the two originals. Six seats now filled the cockpit, with Melfina's bio-tube arching over it all.

Gene smiled. "Alright then, it looks like we're good to go. Jace, you sure you're okay giving up your second seat? Usually, when we need computer work done, you sit in front. With Jim back on board, you're gonna be working grappler arms full time."

Jace smiled. "It's okay. Uncle Jim's much better than I am, anyway. He'll do a better job than I ever could."

Gene smiled, tussling the boy's hair. "That's nice of you to say. But you're a better fighter with those grappler arms than I could ever hope to be."

Jace smiled up at his father.

The doors opened, and Melfina stepped in, yawning. "What are you two boys doing up so early?"

Gene gestured to the newest addition to the cockpit. "Jim, Aisha, and Suzuka are gonna need a place to sit. We got Jim's old seat ready, but we had two more installed for the other two."

Melfina nodded. "Oh, good. So, we'll be heading out to go today then?"

Gene nodded as Jace made his way to give his mother a hug. "Mommy? How far away is the Galactic Leyline?"

Melfina sighed. "Well, we're going to have to find that out, now won't we?"

Jace looked puzzled. "Won't that take a while?"

Gene shrugged. "A month or two, maybe more. Then again, we might get a lucky break, and find it as soon as we leave."

Melfina giggled. "That's your father for you, Jace – always banking on a miracle."

Gene put his fists on his hips. "Hey, just what are you saying? I don't _always_ rely on luck!"

Melfina just laughed some more. "No, if anything, you rely on me and the kids the most. Isn't that right Jace?"

Jace blushed. "Sorry, Dad. Mom's got a point."

Gene crossed his arms, pouting. "Stop ganging up on me."

The two gave the outlaw a hug and laughed.

"Don't worry, Gene, we'll be there to save you when you need us," Melfina chuckled.

Jace jumped on his father's back. "Yeah! I'll come in with my grapplers arms, and be like 'WHOOSH!' and then I'll – Whoa!"

"Slow down, Tiger," Gene intoned, plucking the boy from his shoulders like he weighed nothing. Laughing, he held him over his head, the boy cackling like a hyena the whole time "You just leave the 'whooshing' to me, and then we'll see who's saving whose butt!"

"Hey, lemme down!" Jace babbled.

"Oh, you two," Melfina sighed.

Watching the two of them play, a thought occurred to her that hadn't made itself present before. If this worked, Gene really _would_ live forever. She always knew she and her children would last longer than any human could ever last, but now, the children will have a father who would stay with them forever. She would have a husband who would never leave her side, not even in death.

She had always concealed her fear of the eventual inevitability, but now those fears were beginning to wane.

She actually believed they could pull it off.

xxxxx

The wind rustled the stale grass, the sun slowly heating the crisp morning air, as the field half a mile away from the XGP stood empty, save for two lone figures. They stood facing each other, weapons drawn, fighting stances held, no movement beyond the slow, repetitive breaths.

Suzuka moved, darting sideways, to appear facing her target from the left side.

Jenna had already reacted, her left sword already pointed at the attacker's neck.

Suzuka moved again, only to find Jenna's right hand weapon prohibiting her movement once more. She moved again to her target's front, where another sword appeared, the tip inches from Suzuka's face. Again, at the rear, Jenna turned the least amount possible to attain the necessary leverage to point her sword at her foe.

Suzuka once again disappeared with the wind, leaving Jenna to try to sense her without letting her guard slip.

Guard every angle – that's what Suzuka had taught her since day one. The mind must constantly be aware, and one must always be in a position to act quickly. In seven years, Suzuka had become even more of an expert in the ways of the assassin, and was now as silent as a hawk, never once alerting her foe to her presence until it was too late.

Unbeknownst, Suzuka appear in the air above her target. "Guard every angle, Jenna!" she commanded, coming down on her with both weapons criss-crossing, slashing outwards.

Jenna, in a single movement, caught the attack with her right blade, staving off the weapons at their intersection.

Looking up, the girl smiled. "I did."

Suzuka didn't respond. Instead, she disappeared, reappearing behind her, coming at her with her right hand weapon. Jenna didn't have time to turn around, and instead, flipped the swords in her hands, so the blade came out downwards. Extending her arms outwards, she conjoined her two swords behind her back, criss crossing them as Suzuka had, effectively guarding her back against anything.

Suzuka's swords met only sharp wood.

"Very good," Suzuka smiled, retracting her blades. "You've learned not to let your guard up even after an initial success."

Jenna smiled, turning back to face her master, sheathing her twin swords. "You always taught me to guard every angle, Sensei. That includes the angles between the hands of a clock. An enemy is just as deadly at the end of a battle as they are at the beginning."

Suzuka smiled, sheathing her twin bokens. "You've learned well, Jenna. In the years I've trained you, you have grown into a fine young swordswoman. I could not ask for a better disciple."

Jenna bowed. "Thank you, Sensei."

Suzuka bowed back, looking back at the Outlaw Star docked for takeoff in the distance. Life on Sentinel III with Gene and his family was pleasant, if not exciting. Though, she missed the old tussles with pirates, they had not fully let up. And, of course, bounties never ceased to be an option.

After their victory over Hazanko, the Kei Pirates had been all but crippled. That didn't stop them, however, from making the occasional pass at Gene and his family. Suzuka, a friend and a teacher of Gene's daughter, was obligated by an honor deeper than anything Gene could hope to understand to protect them for as long as the threat's remained.

Still, for the first few years, they had never left Sentinel III for anything more than the occasional luggage run, and while Suzuka was assured that they would fine without her help on the occasional space hop, she still felt so helpless in those times when her disciple went off into danger without her instructor behind her, guiding her.

Suzuka smiled, remembering Gene's words to her the night before. "Will you come with us on this one, Suzuka? I think…we'll definitely need you for this. Jenna will need you…I'll need you…"

Feeling the familiar rush whenever he spoke that way, Suzuka calmed herself. He was married after all.

But still…

"I suppose Gene will be leaving soon."

Jenna stood next to her. "Hmm?"

Suzuka offered no explanation, as they made their way back to the ship.

xxxxx

"I hope you find our accommodations acceptable," Gilliam offered as Jim and Aisha lugged their bags into the Outlaw Star. The little droid buzzed along his service rail. "Your old rooms have been prepared for your arrival."

Jim glanced up and down the hallways of the XGP. Though he'd been aboard several times in the past week, he was still amazed at how alien it seemed. This ship had been like home seven years back. But now that he's spent so much time away, it seemed so strange and new to him.

But, in truth, the difference ran deeper than that – Gene's modifications over the years hadn't only been to the weapon systems, but to the interior living areas as well. He had to with a family living aboard. Now they were not only functional, but were borderline luxurious as well. It was nothing so extravagant as to make it seem prudish, but certainly enough for anyone to be comfortable within the confines of its hull.

Aisha tussled Jim's hair. "I'm gonna get settled in. Why don't ask Gene when we'll be taking off?"

Jim nodded, dropping his bags in his old room. Before going off to fulfill the C'tarl's request, he spared a few moments to glance around his old quarters. If anything he'd learned from their last episode with the Leyline, it would be a very long flight. In short, this room would be his home for many weeks, if not, several months. This ship would be his world.

Jim shrugged that off. He shouldn't be thinking in those terms. If this succeeded, he would live forever. And then, Aisha would finally accept him.

Jim sighed as he left his room. It had still been so long since he and Gene had parted ways. As a kid, he'd planned on working alongside Gene forever. He could still vividly remember the day he'd decided to leave. He had felt obligated in some way. In one way, to Gene and Melfina. With a family on the way, they hardly needed some nerdy squatter, never mind that Aisha and Suzuka were still more or less part time residents themselves. At that time, he hadn't given much thought to Aisha either, though in truth, it was probably for the best. At twelve years of age, Jim was hardly eligible material.

Jim shrugged it off, deciding that the past was the past, and that he had decided to leave anyway to give them the space they needed to raise their family right.

The other way he'd felt obligated was to himself. He had never appreciated being Gene's backup. He'd long felt a deep longing to be his own person, and not just some sidekick in the Starwind and Hawking Enterprise. So, he'd left to see what he could make of himself on his own steam. He knew that he could do it – after all, he was a boy genius and mechanical wiz kid.

What he had not anticipated was the loneliness that had plagued him. On his own, he had only himself to look out for. But he also had only himself to turn to. And Gene's usual remedy of pleasure hostels only went so far.

His reputation from the Outlaw Star had eventually caught up with him. During his second and third year in particular, pirate attacks were almost a weekly occurrence. It was in this manner that Jim had truly built himself up into the fighter he was now. Once they had receded, Jim had continued hunting bounties, the rush of battle giving life the necessary flare that had deserted him the day he left.

Glancing down at the castor at his waist that he never parted with, Jim considered how he must look in Gene's eyes. That castor had saved his life almost as many times as Gene's had his. Jim was, by all counts, his own person – a mechanic, an outlaw, a legend all his own.

"Hey, Jim," Gene called from his chair in the cockpit. "Ready to get moving?"

Jim blinked. He hadn't even realized that he'd arrived at the cockpit. Glancing up at his partner, Jim smiled. "Sure am. Ready to remind those suckers _why_ you're known as the baddest outlaw in the galaxy?"

Gene gave his partner a thumbs up. "Sure am!"

Jim nodded. "Great. When are we taking off?"

Gene nodded. "The last of our supplies are being loaded as we speak. We launch in an hour."

Jim nodded. "Great. That reminds me…did you ever get around to paying off your debt to Fred Luo?"

Gene cringed. "Why'd you have to remind me about that?"

Jim chuckled. "I'll take that as 'no' then? So, wait…if you're still living on Sentinel, then how have you held out this long without paying him back?"

Gene shook his head. "Who said we were still on Sentinel? We're outlaws, Jim. What you see is what you get. This ship is all we've needed from the start."

Jim blinked. "But…when I called you…I was using the old Starwind and Hawking frequency."

Gene nodded. "Yeah, I had it rerouted to the ship's communications array. What better way to keep in touch with all our old customers?"

Jim nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

The two men glanced back as the back door slid open and Jace stumbled through dragging a toolbox that was almost as large as he was. Two seconds later, the boy tripped on a wire, hurdling the toolbox across the cockpit.

"Jace!" Jim called, helping the boy to his feet. "You okay?"

Jace smiled. "Of course I am! I'm just as tough as you are, Uncle Jim!"

Jim returned the smile. "I bet."

What neither of the two had noticed was that the toolbox that Jace had let soar through the air had collided into the head of someone who, if they had a choice in the matter, would rather not have a toolbox collide into their head.

"Oh, the joys of fatherhood," Gene huffed, lying on his back with a sizable goose egg on his forehead.

xxxxx

"Anything else you need help with?" Jenna asked her mother as she helped stock the kitchen with, as far as Jenna could tell, enough supplies to sink the ship with. "Maybe another ton or two of poultry and ground beef?"

Melfina chuckled. "Don't be like that. You know how much your Aunt Aisha eats. It'll be gone before you know it. And no, that's the last of our kitchen supplies. Here," Melfina handed her a can of fruit juice. "You earned this one. Thanks for the help, Jenna."

Jenna plopped into one of the kitchen chairs. "You're welcome, but that was such a hassle! That's the last time I volunteer to help with manual labor. Get Jace to do it next time!"

Melfina leered. "Don't slouch, Dear – it's undignified."

Jenna sighed, sitting up. "Yes, Mother."

Melfina chuckled. "That's better. So, how is your training with Suzuka coming along?"

Jenna smiled, eagerly. She absolutely adored Suzuka as a teacher, and took her sword training very seriously. "Quite well. With all the moves Suzuka sensei has been teaching me, she says that I might even surpass _her_ one day. She's just giving me praise, of course, but it's still flattering to hear."

Melfina nodded. "I'll tell you what _isn't_ just praise – Suzuka told me straight out that she could hardly hold a sword at your age."

Jenna laughed. "That's only because I'm a prodigy."

Melfina shrugged. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. So, how are your studies coming?"

In their seven years aboard the XGP, Gilliam had opted to enroll the kids in an electronic academics session. Basically, it was a computerized school curriculum. With their heightened learning abilities, they had gained unfathomable knowledge of the world around them, and could easily outclass both their parents, and even Suzuka and Jim in terms of sheer erudition.

"Going well," Jenna nodded. "We just got into fractals in Math. Jace is so much better at math than I am, though. He's already up to N-dimensional geometry!"

Melfina smiled. "Well, he is a marksman after all. Besides, you've still got him trumped in classical literature _and_ the fine arts."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "That's only because mister Smarty-pants doesn't care about art and literature. He says it's too 'artsy-fartsy' for him."

Melfina shrugged. "Well, we'll just have to show him one of these days now won't we?"

Jenna nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

xxxxx

Aisha had just put the finishing touches on her new room, when a knock came at the door. Assuming it was Jim, she opened the door with a smile on her face. She blinked, however, when she saw someone else at her door.

"Suzu?" she blurted. "What are you doing here?"

Suzuka stopped herself from reminding the C'tarl not to use that name – she had learned long ago that it was pointless – and resigned to just grin and bear it. "I'm going to be coming along with you on your voyage to find the Leyline."

Aisha nodded. "I figured out that much – I was just wondering why you'd be paying me a visit."

Suzuka smiled. "Just seeing how you were doing. You took quite a beating during that last battle."

Aisha rolled her eyes. "Suzu, you know perfectly well how resilient Aisha is. Now, come on – what's this really about?"

Suzuka sighed. "I guess there's no fooling you then. Alright, here it is – don't let Jim slip away from you."

Aisha blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Suzuka shook her head. "I know we're all set on going out to find the Leyline and wish for immortality…but there's a chance that we may not even find the Leyline…or perhaps it's beyond our reach…or simply disappeared. What I'm trying to say is…Jim may not actually become immortal before…before either nature or his luck catches up to him."

Aisha looked downcast. "Don't remind me…"

Suzuka took a breath. "I know personally what it's like to let a brilliant catch simply slip away like that. I want you to consider what it is you truly want from Jim. If it comes down to it, would you still want to be with him, even if he won't live forever? Will you let him slip away just because you were afraid to make him yours before it happened? The choice is yours, Aisha…"

Aisha took a deep breath. "You're still…caught up over Gene, aren't you?"

Suzuka sighed. "That's one way to look at it. As disheartening as it is for me, at least I still get to see him every now and then. If Jim dies before you can truly open your heart to him, however, you won't even get that much."

Suzuka stepped outside Aisha's door. "You need to act, Aisha. Jim's time will continue to run out, and with it, your chance at being happy with him. If I were in your place, Aisha…I wouldn't hesitate. I'd leap at the first chance he offered me."

Aisha bit her lips. "…Thanks, Suzu…"

Suzuka nodded, taking her leave.

xxxxx

"Gilliam," Gene said, running the final diagnostics for takeoff, "Have we been cleared for takeoff?"

"Affirmative," Gilliam beeped, his pie chart like voice wave sliding up and down, "The control tower has just given us the green light. Now performing final system check."

Gene sat at his spot in the cockpit, his son at his right, his daughter at his left, his wife immersed in her bio-tube at his back, and his partner stationed in front of him. Suzuka sat behind her apprentice's seat, and Aisha was looking over Jace's shoulder, marveling at how much the boy's skills reminded her of Jim.

Jim nervously stared out at the stars. Somewhere out there, the solution to his problems lay. All that was left was for him to find it. How they would do it, where they could find it, who they could ask, who they could trust were all mysteries to him. All he knew was that he had to try. For his own sake…and for the sake of the one he loved.

"Alright," Gene hollered. "Outlaw Star, ready to launch. Jim, why don't you give the order?"

Jim blinked. "Huh? Me? But it's your ship."

"Yeah, but it's your mission," Gene winked. "I mean, sure I may be getting immortality out of the deal, but we wouldn't be on this trip if it wasn't for you and your girlfriend over here."

Before Aisha could get out of her seat to deliver a kiloton hammer blow of vengeance, Jim threw her a look that basically said 'don't kill him – he's our pilot.'

"Alright, alright, fine," Jim muttered, before looking up at Gilliam. "Outlaw Star: Liftoff!"

With that final confirmation, the ship blasted off into space, its crew determined to seek out the nightmare they had thought they'd left behind seven years ago.

Unbeknownst to them, their nightmares, as they were, were only about to begin.

xxxxx

In a city on the surface of a far away planet, an apartment door was kicked open. The occupant, dragging a second over his back, trudged bedraggled in through the apartment door. Kicking the door closed, he deposited his comrade on a nearby couch before slipping into an easy chair opposite the couch. Aside from these two pieces of furniture, a table between the two, two beds on the far wall, and a fridge at the back of the room, the walls and floor were bare, devoid of any presence aside from the absolute essentials of life.

The man in the chair rolled his eyes. "You know, I'm beginning to think that this is seriously becoming a problem for you. This is the third night in row I've dragged you home from that bar. When are you going to get over it?"

The man on the couch had no immediate response. As inebriated as he was, he was considering the large, unbecoming brown stain on the ceiling from where rain or some other substance had leaked through since before they had come there.

"I mean, it's been seven years now," the man continued. "Aren't you going to get over her?"

The longhaired drunk finally sat up, giving the other a fierce stare. "Leave me alone… let me wallow away in peace, would you?"

The other shook his head. "You know I can't do that. You're my brother."

The intoxicated man squeezed his hand into a fist. "What difference does it make? The flesh and blood that once made us one…is now gone. The fact that we still eat and sleep is irrelevant. It takes an entire quart of alcohol to even begin to have an effect on my system, and it cleanses itself out almost instantly. I can't even run away from my own troubles any more. We're not human any longer. And as it stands…we'll live forever."

The older of the two brothers chuckled. "Seems an awful long time to bemoan _one_ woman, doesn't it?"

The green haired man shook his head, sending his long locks into a floppy wave. "You don't understand, Ron…she was the only one who I could understand…who I could relate to. We were the same…she was the only one for me."

"If she's really that important to you, Harry" Ron reasoned. "Then don't you think you should respect her desire to remain with the one she wishes to be with?"

"And let her remain in the thrall of a man who doesn't understand her?" Harry laughed. "The man who…took from us the last shred of our humanity? You ask too much of me, Brother."

Ron sighed. "I wasn't suggesting anything of that nature – I was just offering a different point of view to help you let go. Is it unreasonable to be concerned for my little Brother?"

Harry sighed, leaning back. "No, I guess not. In any case, it doesn't matter if she's with him or not at this point – we'll still get him, won't we Brother?"

Ron shook his head. "Patience, Harry. Don't forget – we need them."

Harry rolled off the mangy couch, resisting the urge to spit. "Seven fucking years! How long until they finally decide to go back?"

Ron stood, taking his younger brother by the shoulders. "I'm sorry, Harry…I know it's painful. But I'm asking you to endure. I promise, if this works out the way we want it, we will benefit. And you will thank me. And even if it doesn't, chances are we'll still have our opportunity to kill Gene Starwind. And after all this time, Brother, it will feel _so_ much more enjoyable. I'll let you be the one to do it, Harry. I'll be happy knowing the job is done – and that you're happy."

Harry clutched his older brother. "Oh, Ron…"

The MacDougal brothers had lived a miserable existence for the past seven years. Harry of course had wanted to track down Gene Starwind and his crew and kill them all immediately after Ron's cyborg implants and Harry's bio-android body was complete. But Ron had seen better of it. Reasoning that Gene, Melfina, and the XGP were the only things capable of returning to them what they lost seven years ago.

(A/N: Two brothers seeking out a mystical power to restore their bodies. Hmm…now where have I heard this before…? ^_^)

Of course, Harry had grown impatient and increasingly desperate. Ron had been forced to intervene on many of his brother's attempts to go after his archrival on many occasions, and in truth, was becoming disheartened himself. He was starting to think that Gene had given up on the Leyline for good, when who should happen to call but their oh-so-dependable informant.

"This is Garth," came a voice over the videophone. "Gene Starwind has gone off to search for the Leyline."

Ron had to struggle to contain his excitement. "I see…you know this for certain?"

"Yes."

"And the beacon has been placed?"

"As ordered sir."

"Very good," Ron smiled. "You've done well. I'll be sure to let your benefactor know to reward you handsomely."

"Thank you sir," Garth replied. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

Ron smiled. This would certainly please Harry.

He patched in another communication before going off to inform his brother that they would be moving out soon.

"Yes, it's me. Garth has fulfilled his purpose. No, in my experience, one can never trust a man who has betrayed his own. Yes, indeed…make sure he is rewarded…handsomely…"

xxxxx

Jace riddled a slew of bullet fire into the last pirate ship, which exploded into a flaming mass of shrapnel and debris.

Jenna eyed the space surrounding the ship, not trusting the ships sensors to decide whether all enemies were truly gone. With an instructor like Suzuka, leniency was an alien concept, and forgetting discipline meant a painful beat down. If the daughter of Gene Starwind had learned anything in the past years of her life, it was never to let your guard down, even when all senses forecasted safety. Moments later, she retracted the ship's grappler arms, sheathing the long scimitars away into the belly of the ship.

"Man," Gene declared. "With all these pirate attacks, we'll be lucky to get anywhere at all in two months."

Jim nodded. "Yeah, plus the damage we get from these attacks is going to add up. At this rate, we'll be out of funds before we can even begin our search."

Aisha stretched her arms, a content smile on her face. "Oh, pipe down you two! We're safe now, right?"

Jim sighed. "Always thinking in the here and now, huh, Aisha?"

Aisha grinned. "Nyao!"

Jace threw himself out of his chair, stretching his arms out. "Hey, Dad? Why are these pirates attacking us now anyway? I thought we'd seen the last of them."

Gene nodded, pensively, shaking his hands, trying to get feeling back in the nerve endings. "That's a good question Jace. Those were Kei pirates, too. I'd have figured with Hazanko dead, they'd be scattered to the wind."

Suzuka calmly got out of her seat. "Killing off a pirate's leader is hardly synonymous with killing off all the pirates, Gene. A new leader would take hold, and before long, the entire clan would be back up to full strength in a matter of months. And the clans hold their grudges Gene."

Gene nodded, letting his head fall back. "I know…it's just that we'd run into them a bunch of times a while ago, and recently, they've been easing off. And now, all of the sudden, we're fighting them right left and center."

Jim eased out of his chair. "I wonder if it's because I'm back on board…"

Gene frowned. "Hey now, don't even think about blaming yourself for this one, Jim. This was my idea in the first place, and the reputation is mine as well."

Jim cocked an eyebrow at his old friend. "Don't forget, Gene, I've had a few pirate attacks of my own on Stratus. I'm not such a small fry anymore, you know?"

Gene nodded. "I know Jim…"

Jim nodded, frowning. Why _had_ they been getting more pirate attacks of late? Could they suspect that they were trying to find the Leyline again? Watching Aisha leave the bridge, Jim brushed the thought from his head and hurried after her.

She had made it to the outside of her quarters before she stopped. She had heard his approach a while since, but she still didn't turn around.

"Hey," Jim sighed. "You turning in already?"

Aisha nodded, without looking at him. "Yeah…I think I'm gonna catch a little catnap before dinner."

Jim stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, snuggling closely with her.

Aisha stiffened. "Jim, don't…"

Jim nuzzled the back of her neck, causing her to purr appreciatively. "I'm just saying goodnight…that's all…"

Aisha tried to protest further, but found that she couldn't push him away. What harm was just a little goodnight kiss?

She shivered as she felt his warm lips touch her neck and felt a very catlike mew escape her lips as his hands rubbed in circles around her stomach. His hot breath made the hairs on the back her neck stand on end, and her whole body felt like it was melting.

"Jim…" Aisha blushed, realizing just how much she was enjoying the contact. "We really…should stop this now…"

Jim gave her body one last embrace before humming in acknowledgement. "I know…goodnight, Aisha…"

Aisha felt a cold emptiness sink into her as the contact with Jim fell away, and she finally turned to face where he had been, only to see his form, walking down the icy halls. She shivered and cursed herself for letting herself get so carried away. Another minute or two of that…

Jim was not immortal yet. And things happen. The reality of Jim dying was just as real as it was before. Aisha repeated this fact over and over in her head, trying desperately to combat the feeling of loneliness that had made itself known the day she had realized that she cared for him.

Unbidden, Suzuka's words repeated themselves to her. _You need to act, Aisha. Jim's time will continue to run out, and with it, your chance at being happy with him. If I were in your place, Aisha…I wouldn't hesitate. I'd leap at the first chance he offered me._

Aisha opened her door and dropped onto her bed, frustrated and angry with herself.

"I can't, Suzu," she muttered under her breath. "Not yet…"

Her catnap was noticeably less enjoyable than she had intended.

xxxxx

"Now passing by the orbit of Capriccio IV, Captain," Gilliam's voice droned. "Class six development. Military presence: heavy. Pirate presence: minimal."

Gene was about to give the order to stay their course when a small hand tugged at his wrist. "Daddy? Are we going to go to the planet surface?"

Gene turned to find his daughter looking pleadingly up at him. "Well…I don't know, Sweetheart. On a class six planet, docking will be expensive. And though pirates aren't really concern, I don't like the military any better. We've got enough supplies to stay in space for months, and we don't need repairs _that_ badly…"

Jenna tugged at his hand, persistently. "Oh, please? Please, Daddy, please?"

Gene cringed. The children usually had so much fun whenever they made planet fall. Usually, it was because they were spared a large amount of Gilliam's lessons, and the fact that they got to go to whatever parks and playgrounds they could afford to go to in their spare time. Funny thing – they didn't have to worry too much about pirate attacks because the children always carried their weapons with them, and were almost perfectly capable of handling themselves in any given situation. That was the thing with prodigies. At times, they could be just as Jenna was now – small, whiny, and adorable. But other times, they could be all out fighters of immeasurable power.

The immediate concern flooding Gene's mind, however, was how to deal with his daughter's plea. If there was one thing that could get the better of the baddest outlaw in the galaxy, it was the insistent sounds of Jenna Starwind.

"Can we really?" came a second voice. "Can we really go down to the planet surface, Dad? Oh, please, can we!"

Gene let out a sigh, as Jace appeared, tugging at his other arm.

Scratch that last thought – two things that could get the better of Gene Starwind.

"Oh, why not, Gene?" came a third voice. Gene looked back to see his wife, smiling in her navi tube. "It's been a while since we've stood on solid ground, and the kids need room to stretch."

Gene shook his head, as he keyed the engine for descent.

Make that three.

xxxxx

"So, what exactly are we doing here?" Jim asked, despondently, as they walked through an unfamiliar town, as the kids ogled the surrounding lights and spectacles.

"Relax, Jim," Gene muttered. "You should have known from the get-go that having two kids aboard the XGP for a long period of time would be difficult. They have needs too, you know?"

Said kids were currently lagging behind, Melfina holding their hands in either of hers. Suzuka, meanwhile, was subtly, or unsubtly, keeping a sharp eye on the kids, while pretending to window shop by the passing structures. As confident as she was in both children's abilities, she wasn't about to let anything happen to them, even on a military controlled planet.

"Has it occurred to you," Jim muttered. "That we may also be wanted by the military as well as the pirates?"

Gene put on his best innocent face. "What? The military? Want me? Get out!"

Jim rolled his eyes, before casting a glace in Aisha's direction. She was dawdling along, not really doing anything out of the ordinary. She wasn't hanging on anyone's shoulders, requesting (or demanding) anything from any of the stores, or complaining about an empty stomach. This worried Jim more than anything.

Pulling up next to Gene, Jim cleared his throat. "So, Gene…guess if we're planet side, then we'll be dining with the locals?"

Gene raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…I guess…"

Jim smiled and whipped out his pocket computer. "Alright, then. I'll find us a spot for dinner then."

Aisha's ear pricked up. "Dinner? Did somebody say dinner!"

Jim smiled, going over the list on his PDA. "Yeah, why not? Capriccio's got some pretty classy restaurants."

Gene frowned. "I dunno, Jim. We need to keep an eye on our funds."

Jim smiled. "Don't worry. My treat."

Melfina wrapped her arms around the boy. "Oh, Jim, you don't have to do that for us."

Jim blushed. "No problem, Mel." Whispering, he said "I'm really only doing it for one of you."

Melfina glanced back at Aisha's smiling face, before retuning her gaze down at him. "Oh, Jim, that's so nice of you!"

Jace tugged on his mother's arm. "Mom, can we go to a playground?"

Melfina smiled. "Later, I promise."

Gene looked around. "Hey…where's Jenna?"

Melfina clutched her husband's shoulder. "Jenna?"

Jim looked up. "What? She's…hey, Suzuka's gone too."

Gene bit his lip, turning around to look behind them. "They're probably together, wherever they are. Suzuka wouldn't let a fly touch that girl."

Melfina grimaced. "I don't like being separated, Gene. We have to find her!"

Jim sighed. "Man…ten minutes, and we're already running into problems."

xxxxx

Elsewhere, said swordswomen were standing outside a smithy store, transfixed and practically drooling.

"It's a Musashi…" Jenna sighed, appreciatively.

"You know your mother's rule," Suzuka chided, though her eyes did not leave the weaponry behind the window. "No metal blades until you're old enough."

Unperturbed, Jenna continued to admire the Japanese weaponry behind the glass, two blotches of fog forming where her nostrils exhaled.

Suzuka was refreshingly entranced; it was nice to get to see other planets and their collections like this. It was almost enough to defeat her consistent sense of awareness.

Almost.

"Look out!"

It took just those words to snap Jenna into fighting mode, as both lady samurai rolled out of the way of blast that smashed through the window of the building they had currently been ogling.

Both Jenna and her sensei drew their weapons and faced the direction of the blast. People scattered everywhere, and standing in the clearing before them was a strikingly familiar figure.

"You…" Suzuka murmured in cold recognition. "You're supposed to be dead."

The figure stood tall, his stave-like castor smoking. "I'm afraid, Miss Suzuka, that you've been…ill informed…"

xxxxx

"Well, well, well…" came a voice, startling the group. Five sets of eyes stared up at the rooftops of one of the buildings. A green haired figure eyed the group, his biomechanical body inhumanly thin, a smirk on his effeminate face. "I cannot tell you how long I've waited for this day."

Gene felt his heart sink. Melfina, for her part, managed to contain a scream. Jim, Aisha and Jace, for all they knew, just stared up at the figure, ready for anything.

"Harry MacDougal," Gene muttered, hand on his castor. "I should have expected to run into you sooner or later. After all this time, I almost thought you you'd decided to leave us alone." Drawing his castor, Gene fitted it with a shell, his pistol in the other hand. "Bad move on your part, Harry. You should have stayed hidden."

Harry just smiled back. "How could I live in a world, Gene Starwind…" The fanatic dropped from the rooftops and landed squarely in front of the group. "…Where Melfina has chosen you instead of me?"

Gene felt Melfina's hand tighten around his shoulder. "Gene…"

Gene offered her a smile. "It'll be alright, Mel…Jim? Can you keep an eye on Jace?"

Jim nodded, while Jace tightened up. "Dad! I can fight too!"

Gene shook his head, pointing his gun at the younger MacDougal brother. "Not this guy, you can't. I've killed him twice before, and he just keeps coming back."

Aisha balled her fists and stood next to the Outlaw. "Let me take him, Gene. I've been itching for a good fight."

Gene shook his head. "Do you have any idea who this guy is, Aisha?"

"Who cares?" Aisha grunted. "I'll take him."

"There are more things at stake here, Aisha," Gene grunted. Lowering his voice, he frowned. "If I lose…I'm gonna need you and Jim to get Melfina and Jace to safety for me. Understand?"

Melfina clutched his shoulder. "Gene! You're not serious!"

Gene smiled in Harry's direction, stepping forward. "Seven years, Harry…seven years is a long time. You must have been planning this day every waking moment."

Harry clenched his fists. "You've done well for yourself, Gene Starwind. Most feared outlaw in the galaxy. Pilot of the XGP, the ship not even the military dares to touch. Ally to the bounty hunter Jim Hawking, the assassin Twighlight Suzuka, and a C'tarl-C'tarl warrior. The one who unlocked the treasure of the Galactic Leyline. Father…of Melfina's _children_…"

Melfina let out a frightened gasp. Gene saw malicious intent in Harry's eyes on that last statement and pushed Melfina back, standing between Harry and his family.

Harry, however, was not finished. "That's an _awful_ lot to take away, Gene Starwind. But I promise…before I'm through, I'll have taken away _everything_ from you. Your honor…your love…and your life."

Gene smirked. "You always did make unhealthy obsessions Harry. Look where it's gotten you. You're entirely bio-android now, aren't you? Your brother still probably has some of his real body in him after I blasted him off that cliff, but you-"

"Shut _up_!" Harry demanded.

"-You've got nothing left from your old life," Gene taunted. "How do you expect to amount to _anything_ if you keep fixating on what you can't _have_?"

Harry launched himself at the man he swore to be his enemy. "I will _have_ Melfina! I will _have_ the life that was supposed to be mine! The life you _stole_ from me!"

Gene dodged his lunges easily. Harry was flailing madly, not concentrating on his attacks at all, his mind ablaze in rage. Just as Gene had intended.

"You can't even touch me," Gene taunted, dodging Harry swings. "What are you trying to prove, Harry? To whom? You? Me? Mel?"

Harry panted, glaring at his adversary. "This isn't about proving anything, Gene Starwind! This is about taking back what's _rightfully mine_!"

Eight missiles came out of silos in Harry's back.

xxxxx

Harry had gotten off to a rough start. But Ron was holding his own, even while fighting two people. Suzuka had mastered the art of invisibility long ago. To most, her movements were so fast that she seemed to disappear and reappear almost instantly. But Ron's cybernetic eyes saw differently. The computer in his brain calculated possible moves from both Suzuka's dual swords, as well as her disciple's.

Jenna and Suzuka were stumped by this machine-like adversary, who managed to defend against each and every attack with impenetrable armor and lightning quick moves.

"Why did you come back?" Suzuka demanded, taking a stand. "To what end? It's been seven years, what do you hope to gain now?"

Ron smiled. "Isn't it obvious? You're trying to get to the Galactic Leyline."

Suzuka's eyes flew open. "How did you…? I see. That's what you've been doing the past seven years. Monitoring us. Waiting for the only people capable of finding the Leyline for you to make their move."

Ron smiled. "Now you're catching on."

Suzuka decided to test the extent of his knowledge. "It won't work. Melfina can't work it anymore."

Ron shrugged. "That hasn't seemed to stop you, now has it?"

Suzuka smirked. "Do you expect _me_ to reveal our intent?"

Ron shook his head. "Don't you realize? You already have."

Suzuka's eyes flared open, as she shot a glance at Jenna, who had taken a cue from her master and stood back, catching her breath. Her maroon hair hid pure blue eyes. Gene Starwind's eyes. And the fierce determination in her face mirrored her father's perfectly.

"No…" Suzuka whispered.

"The Maiden of the Leyline's offspring," Ron muttered. "They'll be just enough for my brother and me."

Suzuka lunged. "You'll die before I let you use her!"

Ron caught both Suzuka's swords in either hand, smirking. "Oh? Like you and Gene Starwind were planning to?" He didn't wait for her reply, as he brought his knee into her stomach. Suzuka collapsed from the jolt, tumbling to the ground in a heap.

xxxxx

Gene threw his cape out, spreading his arms wide.

"Get back!" he yelled to Melfina.

Harry's missiles converge onto him, just as he brought up his light shield.

FWOOOOOOM!

Harry stared at the ensuing explosion, waiting for the dust to clear. The explosion shorted out his light shield, but Gene Starwind and family was otherwise unharmed. Without giving him a chance to recover, Harry lunged at his enemy, throwing a deadly punch at super sonic speeds.

Out of nowhere, a metallic claw rose to grab his cybernetic wrist before the punch could make contact.

Gene smirked. His left arm was covered in a metal platted glove, which gripped Harry's arm in a shower of sparks, claw-like fingertips digging into his artificial skin.

"Like it?" Gene smirked. "Cybernetic armor. Fred Luo makes it. Got it at a pretty decent price."

Harry recoiled, trying to break free from Gene's grip. "Get your hands off me, you bastard!"

Gene just grinned. "It's got a pretty powerful grip. If you up the hydraulics, you can even do stuff like this!"

With a simple action, Gene clenched the fist of the cybernetic glove over his hand. Harry's arm began to spark, before Gene crushed it completely.

Harry screamed in pain, falling back, flailing his body around in rage.

Gene leveled his castor at Harry's face as he glared back at him.

"Go on," Gene huffed. "Get out of here."

Harry rose to his feet, backing away, hugging the wall, clutching his shattered arm. "You'll regret letting me live, Gene Starwind."

Gene threw him a furious glare. "I already do. You already took one direct hit with a castor. I'm not about to waste another. Besides, whenever possible, I prefer not to kill in front of the kids."

Harry threw Jace an evil look. The boy grimaced but did not flinch.

"You think you're such a good guy, don't you?" Harry spat. "If you'd bother to see things the way I do…you'd see what you _really_ are!"

Gene glared as Harry ran off.

"Everyone okay?" he hollered, once the coast was clear.

"I think so," Jim muttered. "You can, uh…you can put me down now, Aisha."

Aisha did. "Just looking out for you kiddo."

"You know I don't like it when you call me that," Jim pouted.

"'Course I do," Aisha smiled.

Melfina clutched her son, protectively. "Are you okay, Jace?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, Mom, I'm okay. Really."

Gene patted his son on the head. "Of course you are. You're the toughest boy out there!"

Jace smiled, before his eyes flew open, suddenly. "Jenna! Where's Jenna!"

xxxxx

"Sensei!" Jenna shrieked, suddenly rushing to Suzuka's aid, crumpled on the ground.

"Jenna…" Suzuka moaned weakly, "Don't…"

Ron darted forward, knocked the girl's swords from her grip easily, and grabbing her by the throat.

"Gah!" the young girl gasped, as the large man held her facing Suzuka.

"Jenna!" Suzuka gasped, getting to one knee, swords at ready.

"Our concern is not with you, Suzuka," Ron smiled, evilly, Jenna flailing in his grip. "Cooperate and we'll see the two of you unharmed."

Suzuka spat, but did not move. "Don't waste my time."

Ron shrugged, pulling out his castor with his free hand. "Have it your way."

Jenna watched as he aimed his castor directly at Suzuka's face. She tried to scream, but her throat was bound tight in the big man's grip. So instead, she flipped over backwards, twisting out of his grip, before kicking him squarely in the shoulders.

Ron tumbled forward, off balance. Suzuka seized her chance, leapt forward, and sunk her blade into his knee.

Ron stumbled, clutching his leg as sparks flew off his robotic body.

"Guard every angle," Jenna chimed. "That includes the angles between the hands of a clock. An enemy is just as deadly at the end of a battle as they are at the beginning."

"Insolent brat…" Ron spat.

Suzuka removed her sword from the older MacDougal brother and he fell back, sparks showering from his ruptured leg.

"It was a mistake to come back, MacDougal," Suzuka said, icily. "And it was a mistake to threaten my disciple."

"Spare me your 'honor,' assassin," Ron grunted. Turning to Jenna, he glared, evilly. "And you…know this, spawn of Starwind: The MacDougal brother's have never accepted defeat. Not from your father. And certainly not from you."

Springing off his good leg, Ron leapt up onto the rooftops, fleeing from site.

Jenna picked up her swords, sheathing them. "Why would say something like that immediately before _running away_?"

Suzuka could only sigh.

"Jenna!" came a cry, as Gene and crew finally backtracked to where they'd separated.

Jenna turned just in time for Melfina threw her arms around her. "Oh, thanks goodness! I was so worried!

"What happened, Suzu?" Aisha prodded.

"The MacDougal brothers," Suzuka said, breathlessly. "They're back."

Gene nodded. "We know. We just fought with Harry."

Suzuka frowned. "I see. You are unhurt?"

Gene brushed himself off. "We'll live. You two?"

"We're fine," Suzuka nodded. She locked eyes with the man, staring coldly. "Gene…they know that we're after the Leyline again. They've been waiting all this time for us to try to track it down."

"Damn it!" Gene cursed, throwing Melfina a look. Melfina nodded, frowning.

"Jim…" Aisha sighed. Jim looked up at her sad face, letting her hand slide into his, squeezing tightly.

With the MacDougal brothers on their trail, the quest for the Leyline was ten times as treacherous. Their best bet would be to call off the search, and forget about the Leyline altogether. Aisha knew that Gene had a lot at stake, and had to consider the risk his family would be taking. In all likelihood, he would call it off.

And with it, Aisha's only chance at being happy with the boy she loved.

Aisha grabbed the back of Jim's shirt, burying her face into his back.

"Aisha?" Jim muttered. "What's wrong?"

A sob was all he got in response.

"Hey, Jim," Gene called, both children holding either hand. "Tell her to wrap it up and get moving. The police will be here any moment to poke around. I think now's a good time to get moving."

Jim touched Aisha's shoulder as Suzuka and Melfina followed Gene's lead.

"Aisha…" he muttered.

She tugged his shirt again. "I can't do it, Jim. I can't live with you gone."

Jim inhaled. "_Aisha_…I'm not going anywhere."

Aisha sobbed again. "We have to do this, Jim. Don't let Gene call it off. We have to get you your immortality. If we don't…you'll…you'll…"

Jim turned around, clutching her tightly. He felt her hands reach up to clutch his back. He winced as claws sunk into his flesh, but he ignored them, petting Aisha's back.

"Come on, Aisha," Jim sighed. "Let's get going."

The two of them sped off, catching up with Gene and the others.

Moments later, the military showed up too late to solve anything.

xxxxx

A/N: Well, that's my third chapter. I'm a lot farther from the end than I thought I'd be. The MacDougal brothers are hard to write for, and the fact that there are suddenly so many more characters to include make writing this a lot tougher than I thought. No worries, I'll be finishing this story off. It's just going to take me a lot longer than I planned.

Tell me if I'm concentrating too much on Gene and Mel and their kids. I want to include all the characters, but this is still primarily and Jim x Aisha fic. Gene and Mel are a given, and some might think that it means I shouldn't focus on them too much. For the most part, Jim and Aisha's relationship is a blank in this chapter because I have to focus so much on the flow of the action/adventure part, which mostly focuses on Gene.

Anyway, I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter all thing's considered. I tried not to make the MacDougal brothers sound too corny in their respective scenes, but I'm not sure I succeeded. I also took the liberty of giving Gene an armor plated left arm (And before you ask, no, it's not robotic. His real arm's still there, he just wears that glove for fighting).

Read and Review.

I'm out.


	4. Chapter 4

Outlaw Star Fan Fiction

**Forgotten Embers**

By Kraven Ergeist

A/N: Sorry I took so long to update – I just watched OLS again and wanted to finish this story up while I could. It'll probably be done by the next chapter. Well, better late then never.

Chapter Four

Jim eyed his old partner warily as Aisha toyed with the kids. They were all seated for dinner. The restaurants on Capriccio were not going to be forgiving on Jim's pocketbook, but the young man had more important things on his mind.

"So what are we going to do now, Gene?"

The outlaw just sipped his glass. Water, not beer, Jim noticed. With two kids in tow, alcoholism was not among the most desirable of traits.

"What else can we do?" Gene shrugged. "We keep looking for the Galactic Leyline. We can't let MacDougal brothers coerce us into backing down."

Jim smiled, noticing Aisha's ears prick up at that. He wondered for a minute just what why he was doing this. Whose sake was he doing this for, Aisha's or his own? If it meant putting his partner's family at risk, was it even worth it?

Yes, Jim reminded himself. After all, Gene would be getting immortality out of the deal as well. His wife and kids would be a family forever because of it. They were all in this together, and they would all reap the benefits afterward.

"So where do you suggest we start looking?" The young man asked, troubled. "From what Mel says, the Leyline could be anywhere in the galaxy - Kei territory, Ban territory, the frontier, anywhere! It could even be beyond the range of human cultivation - we have no idea how expansive the ancient race was in the galaxy."

Suzuka wiped her lips with the tip of her napkin. "We also don't have any mad scientists or convicted prisoners to conveniently hand us the coordinates this time."

Gene pondered. "Our best bet would be to retrace our footsteps from seven years ago."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Yeah, cause we had so much luck searching on our own seven years ago."

Gene made a face. "Hey, shut up! It all worked out eventually, didn't it? Now listen, why don't we split up. Mel and I will take the kids and head back to the Outlaw Star. I'll contact Fred Luo and see if he can rustle up any leads."

Suzuka sipped her tea. "Why don't I check the Space Forces interstellar archives for any recent developments?"

Jim nodded. "Yeah, and I'll check with the natural history museum to see if they can tell me anything about the ancient civilizations."

Gene nodded. "Good. Head back to the ship when you think you've found all you can."

Mel placed her on Jim's shoulder. "Jim, Suzuka…If you run into the MacDougal brothers, make sure you contact us. Don't try to fight them on your own."

Jim and Suzuka nodded. Aisha just smiled, wrapping her arm around the young man's shoulders. "Hey, don't worry about Jim. He'll be with me!"

Gene winked. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Jim flushed. "Rrrrr…Gene, you scumbag!"

xxxxx

As studious and intelligent as he was, Jim was enjoying his tour of the interstellar museum, despite offering thus far no beneficial input on the Galactic Leyline. Aisha, on the other hand, could barely keep her eyes open.

"And here, we have a relic from the Corbonese monarchy. This artifact was once used as a peace pipe of sorts, dating back to –"

"Man, I am so bored!" Aisha complained for what must have been the sixth time.

Jim threw her a glance and shushed her, before returning his focus to the android tour guide.

Aisha sniffed. "Fine," she yawned and wandered off.

Jim returned his attention to the tour guide, reading the handout he had been given. The museum was chalked full of interesting artifacts: Terran lore, Corbonese relics, even C'tarl jewelry. Then something caught his eye.

"Say…what's this mention of an ancient Sub Ether Space Compass?"

The tour guide smiled at Jim's question. "It's a device recovered from the ancient civilization. Our archeologists believe it was designed with the intent of finding the Galactic Leyline."

Jim's heart skipped a beat. "The Galactic Leyline! Tell me, do you think I could have a look at this Sub Ether Space Compass?"

The android shook its robotic head. "I'm afraid that's out of the question. Due to the enormous public interest in the Galactic Leyline, it is necessary to keep it secured from the public for the purpose of keeping the artifact safe."

Jim groaned. "So you can't show it to me?"

"No. Besides, it's no longer in our possession."

"You don't have it?"

"Due to budget cuts, the owner decided to sell the artifact to a collector."

Jim didn't get a chance to ask him who they sold it to, as his tour guide, indeed, the entire entourage, began running around in a panic.

Whoever invented the phrase "Curiosity killed the cat" must have known Aisha Clan-Clan. No less that five minutes after going off on her own, and Aisha just about had the place in pieces.

"Whoops! Sorry about that! You can fix it right? You can't? Nya-nya-nya! Here, let me try!"

Quite suddenly, the archaic catapult she had been messing with found itself being put to use, hurdling Aisha and the unsuspecting android curator across the museum halls.

Aisha waved her arms around, flailing for purchase, digging her claws into the first palpable item the encountered.

Unfortunately for the curators, this item had been a colossal bone fossil statue.

Jim arrived to see what the commotion was about. About a split second later, he was ready to pretend he hadn't seen anything.

"Aisha…" he groaned. "Tell me you're not hanging upside down from a broken fossil skeleton."

The cat girl looked sheepish. "I'm…not hanging upside from a broken fossil skeleton?"

The panicked and practically useless android tour guides were replaced by much more competent Terran guards. Competent, mostly due to the fact that they had guns.

"Hey! You! Get down from there before you cause any more damage!"

Aisha leapt down from the prehistoric skeleton, grabbed Jim, and dashed for the door.

"Hey! Come back here!"

Jim groaned, once they'd reached the street. "Man…now I see why you're constantly getting bounties on your head."

Aisha replied to Jim's comment with a swift bop to the head.

"Ow!" Jim yelped. "Well it's true! Besides, now I've lost my lead. The tour guide said something about a Sub Ether Space Compass. I was about to pry more info out of him!"

"Sub Ether Space Compass?" Aisha blinked, halting in mid stride, still carrying Jim in one arm. "You mean like _that _one?"

Jim looked up and saw what Aisha's cat eyes had seen: an open auction for ancient artifacts and relics. Besides every item was a starting price tag and a name. Priced at 5,000 wong was something that looked like a Feng Shui swivel board with familiar twin dragon insignias.

Besides the price tag was written "Sub Ether Space Compass."

xxxxx

"Fred didn't have any useful information, but he did say that more and more rumors have been popping up saying that the Galactic Leyline still exists. Wherever it is, people are talking about it."

It was midnight, and the crew had found there way back to the Outlaw Star. The children were fast asleep, and the rest had filed into the galley, where Melfina busying herself with a pot of coffee.

"I've been told by the local magistrate that a lot of pirates and bounty hunters from Heifon have been talking about the Galactic Leyline."

Gene nodded. "Alright. Jim, Aisha, you guys turn anything up?"

Jim nudged Aisha, and she produced the swivel board.

"What's that?"

Jim shrugged. "The guy at the museum said this thing was designed by the ancient race as a method of finding the Leyline."

Gene reacted visibly to that. "Really? And the museum just gave it to you?"

Jim cringed. "Well…not exactly…"

Aisha shook her head. "The museum sold it to a collector, and the collector was selling it in an auction, so Jim and I snatched it up."

Gene raised an eyebrow. "An auction, huh? How much did you get it for?"

Jim cringed. "Well…the starting price was 5,000 wong…"

Gene frowned. "I'm not asking for the starting price, Jim. How much did you pay for that?"

Jim fidgeted, nervously. "Well…it could have gone up a lot higher if Aisha hadn't systematically injured most of the contenders…but we eventually nailed it at…"

The rest of the sentence was barely audible. But Gene caught it.

Taking a deep breath, Gene stood up.

"Okay…okay…um, Mel? Aisha? Would you two mind turning around for a moment?"

Melfina blinked. "Why?"

Gene gritted his teeth. "Cause I don't you to have to see me _STRANGLE_ THIS KID!" Gene leapt up and grabbed Jim by the shoulders. "You spent 800,000 wong on this piece of junk!"

Jim held his hands up. "Relax, Gene! When I told him it was the legendary outlaw Gene Starwind, he was happy to take credit."

Gene smacked his forehead. "You even _gave_ them my name? God, just kill me now! We have enough debt to pay as it is! Do we even know if this thing will even work!"

Jim shrugged. "We don't know. We haven't tried it."

Gene reached out and grabbed the stone tablet. While he recognized the twin dragon carving, he was still skeptical. Even if this was the genuine article, that was still no guarantee that it would work.

"Alright, but if it turns out it doesn't work, I want you to return this thing, pronto!"

Jim scratched his had. "That's the…uh…other thing, Gene."

Gene scowled. "Now what?"

Jim cringed again. "Aisha kind of…made a mess of the museum. We barely managed to escape from the cops. We should probably get off this planet as soon as we can, or they might decide to arrest us."

Gene rested his head in his palms. "God damn it…"

Aisha's ears drooped. "I'm really sorry, Gene…"

Gene softened at her expression. "Nah, it's okay Aisha. It'll be fine once your boyfriend here pays me back 800,000 wong."

Jim could only gawk as Aisha nodded.

"Nyao!"

xxxxx

The crew's next stop found them descending towards the Dragon's Tomb, a quick scan revealing the rubble that had once been the ancient ruins of the ancient race. This, of course, was _after_ Gene and Jim had discovered that their "Sub Ether Space Compass" was a total knockoff.

Jim had bruises to show for it.

"Not only did you get us kicked out of one of the prime hubs of the galaxy," Gene complained. "But you _also _got us stuck with a hefty fine for all the damages done to the museum _and_ the spaceport after we blasted our way out of dock! And all for a stupid space compass that doesn't even work!"

Jim rubbed his sore jaw. "Alright, alright, jeez, I _said_ I was sorry! Besides, Aisha's the one who trashed the museum!"

Aisha, whose attention was currently diverted with arm wrestling Jenna, threw the two of them a glare. "Aisha did _not_ 'trash' the museum! It's not my fault that Terrans don't make their relics a bit sturdier than C'tarl-C'tarl artifacts!"

Jim crossed his arms. "Those weren't just Terran relics, Aisha, those were from all races! And you can't mean to tell me that C'tarl artifacts are so strong that they retain their dexterity after millions of years! Relics are called that because they've become delicate and priceless over time!"

Jenna was still not having any luck besting Aisha's C'tarl strength, but she wasn't giving up. Aisha shrugged, not really paying attention. "Whatever, that's not even the issue here! The issue is that they shouldn't display things that are _that_ delicate somewhere where someone could easily break them!"

Jim rubbed his forehead. "That's what the 'Do Not Touch' signs are there for, Aisha!"

Gene cringed. "The _issue_ here is finding the Galactic Leyline! We still currently have nothing to go off of, and are now eight hundred thousand wong in debt, plus two hundred fifty thousand for docking and damage fees for both the dock and the museum! That leaves us over a million wong in debt!"

Jim sat down, defeated. "I _said_ I was _sorry_!"

Melfina smiled from her tube. "Nobody's blaming you, Jim. You did what you felt you had to do to help us find the Leyline."

Jim smiled, weakly at her. "Thanks, Mel."

"Yeah…" Jenna grunted through her teeth as she looked up from where her fist was clenching tightly around Aisha's. Neither was giving ground. "And Aisha can't help but be curious."

The catgirl waved her free hand, smiling. "There, you see?"

Jim casually pulled her tail. "Off your high horse there, Aisha, the fact of the matter is, we still haven't made any progress."

Aisha let out a shrill meow as Jim pulled her tail, and her fist had hit the table with a dull thud.

Jenna let go of her discipline long enough to smile with self-satisfaction. Aisha just growled.

"Rrrrrrr…Jim!" She seized the young man by the collar. "You made me lose!"

Jim smirked at her. In the old days, whenever she got angry like this, he'd usually clench up in fear. Now, he just thought she looked kind of cute.

"_I_ think she beat you fair and square," Jim said, patting her on the cheek.

Despite herself, Aisha felt her cheeks redden. "I only lost cause I agreed to only use a third of my strength! A C'tarl could beat a human any day of the week!"

Jenna stood up, straightening her outfit. "It was an honor to be able to match my strength to even a fraction of that of a C'tarl-C'tarl's."

Aisha blinked, dropping her captive, letting Jim hit the deck with another dull thud. "Oh…well, uh…thank you…"

Suzuka entered the cockpit, looking around. "Hello, Jenna. Have you seen your brother by any chance? I haven't seen him all day."

Not a moment before the words were out of her mouth, said rascal fell headfirst out of the ceiling bulkhead and onto the deck, covered with dust, and coughing up a fit.

"I've almost isolated the problem, Dad," the boy said, getting to his feet and accepting a clean washrag from his father to wipe his face off.

"Gene, have you got your son working on your ship for you again?" Suzuka asked, accusingly.

Gene patted the maroon haired boy on the head. "I can't help it if the kid's better with engines than I'll ever be. The least he could do is put it to good use."

Jace grinned. "That's just cause Uncle Jim's been teaching me so much."

Gene threw Jim a glance. "Oh, so _you're_ to blame for all that, huh?"

Jim held up his hands. "_And_ Gilliam! Be fair now, Jace!"

The circular highlights of Gilliam II whirled out and in at Gene's accusing stare. "I merely answer his questions pertaining to ship's maintenance when he asks it of me, Gene."

"Gene," Melfina chirped. "We'll be making atmospheric entry in two minutes. Kids, strap yourselves in now."

Jenna and Jace both snapped a salute. "Yes, mom…"

As Aisha watched as the two kids obediently got into their seats, Jim caught her smiling in a way he'd never seen her smile before.

"Hey, Aisha?" he asked, quizzically. "What's on your mind?"

Aisha looked up. "Huh? Oh, I'm just…thinking about those two kids, actually…"

Jim blinked. "Oh…?"

Aisha looked back at Jenna and Jace. "Yeah, I mean…they look so much like their parents, but they're both so different and so unique from each other…it's really weird, you know? And they're both so adorable, they're both so good at everything they do…"

Aisha turned her head back to see Jim still looking at her. Her cheeks began to color under his stare.

"…What?"

Jim raised an eyebrow.

Aisha's cheeks colored a little more. "Jim! Stop imagining things!"

Jim held his hands out. "I didn't say anything!"

Aisha scowled at him. "You were saying it with your eyes, and you _know_ it!"

Jim kept smiling. "Oh, you mean to tell me you _weren't_ wondering?"

Aisha furrowed her brow. "About what?"

Jim sighed, sitting back in his seat. "Well, weren't you just thinking of what it might be like-"

"I can't _hear_ you!" Aisha sang, pulling her ears down. "I'm not listening!"

Aisha blushed even more when, despite her best efforts to drown out all sound, she heard the entire crew burst out into laughter.

xxxxx

The Dragon's Tomb had been a barren rock back then. And it was a barren rock now. Gene, his piloting skills improved (and landing skids upgraded), had managed to park the Outlaw Star directly within the ruins, eliminating the need to hike their way out and set up camp. All that accounted for the remains was half a pyramid with a broken entryway. Most of the halls within were under ruble.

Suzuka kept a lookout while Gene and Jim rustled what they could through rocks, rocks and more rocks. Meanwhile, Aisha was sitting cross-legged and fiddling with the Sub Ether Space Compass, still unwilling to fully accept that they had been had.

"Give it a rest, Aisha," Gene grouched. "We could use your strength for heavy lifting, you know?"

Aisha threw him a glare. "You'd make a lady like me do all your manual labor?"

Gene wiped a band of sweat from his forehead. "I would when the lady I'm referring to is stronger than both me and Jim put together. You always boast about how strong you are. Why don't you come over here and prove it!"

Aisha stuck her tongue out. "A proud C'tarl-C'tarl doesn't have to prove anything!"

Gene grumbled. "Good for nothing slouch…"

Jim sighed, a heavy boulder in tow. "Leave her alone, Gene."

Gene patted the young man on the shoulders. "Sticking up for your girlfriend again, Jim?"

Jim stumbled after Gene patted him, dropping the rock on his foot. Letting out a yelp, he grabbed his foot, wincing in pain.

"Damn it, Gene! You're not helping!"

The red haired man smirked. "Well, if your little princess over there would lend a hand, then maybe-"

"Quiet, please," came a calm yet commanding voice. "Both of you."

The two men glanced over toward where Melfina and the kids were sitting.

The three of them were seated in an evenly spaced triangle, the kids cross-legged, Melfina herself with her legs pretzeled in a yoga position. Her eyes were closed in concentration, her hands resting on her thighs, and her breathing was coming out in steady wisps.

"Hey, what are they doing over there, anyway?" Aisha whispered to the guys.

Gene smiled. "She explained it to me, but I just don't get it. Something about locating the dragon's actual tombstone? Though how she's managing it is beyond me."

Jim shrugged. "While Melfina may have become separated from the Leyline, she's still a Bio-Android made from designs recovered from the Ancient Civilization. Because of this, she'll always be connected with it. So, all she's really doing is expanding her sensory awareness to incorporate her surroundings. It's the same as when she's navigating the ship, it comes as second nature. And having two bio-android children of the same design strengthens the field."

Gene put his hands on his hips. "How do you know all this?"

Jim smirked. "I overheard her explaining it to Jenna and Jace this morning."

Gene nodded, remembering seeing their earlier pow-wow. "Oh…so that's what they were talking about."

He couldn't help but admire his wife when he saw her like this. She had reached such an understanding of her own makeup that she could turn around and put it such good use. Not only that, she managed it with such a calm, collected aura.

The kids, however, did not look quite so calm.

"Mom, I'm tired," Jace complained.

"Me too," Jenna said. "And my legs are cramping. Can we go back to the ship? I'm hungry!"

The raven-haired woman let out a sigh. It was times like these that made her really feel conflicted. On the one hand, if her search was successful, their family would ultimately prosper. On the other, her children had needs to attend to, and sitting here, meditating on their surrounding environment wasn't meeting them.

"Alright," she ceded. "Let's take a rest. Back to the ship."

As the kids got up, glad for the reprieve, Melfina shot a glance back at the men. "I think we should all take a break. Let Suzuka know, okay Gene? I'm going back to the ship with the kids."

Gene shrugged. "If you say so. You know, the longer we take, the more likely the MacDougal brothers are going to find us."

Melfina nodded. "I understand. That's why Suzuka and Gilliam and keeping their eyes open."

Gene sighed, elbowing Jim. "You heard her – let's call it a day. Let Aisha know; I'm gonna get Suzuka."

xxxxx

Gene found Suzuka atop what was left of the pyramid. She hadn't moved since they'd left her there that morning. Gene wasn't even sure she had breathed.

"We're calling it, Suzuka," Gene called. "Let's head back to the ship."

Suzuka turned and offered the same unreadable expression she always exhibited. Something between confidence, contentment and incalculable discipline.

"Alright," she intoned, stepping forward.

Gene turned to go.

"Gene…" Suzuka spoke up. "What are you planning to do once you've gained your immortality?"

Gene paused his step. "Spend the rest of my life with my family on the Outlaw Star."

Suzuka didn't smile or frown. "And Aisha and Jim?"

Gene shrugged. "They're welcome to join us, but they may choose to push on. Why are you asking?"

Suzuka let the thought hang.

Gene breathed in. "…Oh."

Suzuka closed her eyes. "Two kids, two wishes. Jim's immortality and yours. That leaves You, Mel, Jenna, Jace, Jim and Aisha with a life that will last forever."

Gene bit his lip. "Suzuka…I don't know what to say. Jenna and Jace may have children one day…I don't know, maybe…"

Suzuka shook her head. "It's rather generous to assume that I would live long enough to ask them."

Gene gritted his teeth. "Look, I'm sorry, Suzuka. You've always been one of us, but there's only so much I can do."

Suzuka sighed. "I know Gene."

"Jim's in love with an immortal, and so am I," Gene went on. "Jim and I need to live forever, not just for our sakes, but for the one's we love."

"I know that, Gene," Suzuka groaned. "I just…want you to understand my position."

Gene blinked. "Your position?"

Suzuka stepped forward and took Gene's hand. She wasn't sure what she was doing. Her usual stoic resoluteness suddenly weighed on her like an impossible burden. She wanted to let it go. She wanted to be heard.

"For the first time in so many years, I feel…truly destitute. Being a part of your life, Gene…has been the best thing that's ever happened to me…and I don't want to watch that slip away…"

Gene closed his eyes, sadly. "I know, Suzuka…I don't want anything to end either…but sometimes, things have to-"

Gene was cut off when Suzuka seized his lips with hers.

Gene's eyes flew open, his arms grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Suzuka!" he gasped. "What do you think you're doing?"

Tears began to flow from the lady samurai's eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Gene…I shouldn't have done that…"

Gene grasped her shoulders tightly, a look of sympathy in his eyes. "Look, I know you're in a difficult situation right now. I understand you feel like you're being left behind. But some things simply can't be kissed away."

He saw her eyes staring at the ground, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and shame. Gene took her face in his hand, locking eyes with her.

"You're a beautiful woman, Suzuka…and I'd trust you with my life. If the circumstances were different, I'd give you anything you wanted from me…but I have a wife and a family, and I love them. I love them enough to cross the galaxy a second time over, just to ensure their happiness for as long as I can. I can't give up on them, Suzuka…not even for you…"

Suzuka sniffed back tears. Never before had she shed tears, not like this. Never before had she thrown herself at someone so haphazardly. Never before had she been so embarrassed.

She couldn't have chosen a better confessional.

"Come on," Gene smiled, like the incident had never happened. "They're waiting for us back at the ship."

Suzuka wiped away the last of her tears and her expression went back to its former, unreadable phase. If nothing else in the past had proven to her that she could trust Gene with anything, this had proven it.

Her sense of purpose momentarily rekindled, Suzuka followed him to the ship.

xxxxx

Dinner that evening was tired and unmoving, though Melfina had outdone herself as usual. While Suzuka kept in complete silence, mulling over previous events, Aisha was still mercilessly fiddling with the Sub Ether Space Compass. Even Jim had just about had enough.

"Give it a rest, Aisha," Jim groaned. "Your food's getting cold."

Aisha, the Space Compass in her mouth (somehow, over the course of the evening, she had decided that it was a good idea to try to _gnaw_ the stone tablet into submission) looked up from the task at hand. "Mrow?"

The young man sighed. "This is the first time I've seen you pass up food. Are you sick?"

The catgirl grinned. "Aisha's just trying to help!"

Jim shook his head. The concept of Aisha putting their mission before food was not lost on him, however. Then again, the way she was handling the trinket, it looked more like she was just having fun playing with it.

Jace was busy regaling his mother on some new concept he had worked out for the XGP's computer system, and Jenna was none too pleased at being showed up by her brother, and was doing her best to take Melfina's attention off of Jace and onto the subject of the latest book she had been reading.

Melfina was rather perplexed as to how to handle the situation. Usually, Jace could talk to his father about his interests, and while she was loath to admit any sort of preference, Melfina had to admit, she found greater interest in Jenna's fancies. She didn't want to alienate her son, however, so deciding to bite the bullet, Melfina decided on a change of pace.

"Why don't you tell your father about it, Jenna?" The navigator suggested, praying to whatever god's would listen to a bio-android that she wasn't making a grave mistake.

Jenna looked befuddled, but eventually decided to take her mother up on her advice, and looked towards Gene, who had been fairly distant all evening after the incident with Suzuka.

Minutes later, Gene was more convinced than ever that his daughter was ten times as brilliant as he ever would be.

"…So Hamlet set up this play to try to get under his uncle's skin, and…"

Gene smiled, pretending to follow, while silently wondering why a sixteenth century author was still a required reading in this day and age.

Melfina – having thought that, as the ship's navigator, she would be able to keep up with her son's prattle – was doing scarcely better.

It was a welcome relief when bedtime finally came around. Gene fell back onto his bed, exhausted. He didn't even bother with his clothes, he just collapsed. Blasting their way out of Capriccio hadn't been a breeze. And although he'd pulled it off, their landing on the Dragon's Tomb had been a tricky one. And after a long day of heavy lifting, having his faith to his wife put to the test, followed by the mental taxation of conversing with his prodigious daughter, Gene was ready for sleep.

He had almost shut his eyes when Melfina stepped inside, a smile on her face.

"The kids are asleep," she winked.

Gene sighed. "Finally. As tired as they said they were before, they sure do have a lot of energy now."

Melfina closed the door, kicking her shoes off, and undoing her suspenders.

"The kids are asleep," she winked again, indicating that there was more to her point than just that. As though to illustrate her point, she turned and locked the bedroom door.

Gene grinned.

Perhaps he wasn't so tired after all.

xxxxx

"For the last time, Aisha, let it go," Jim pleaded as he walked her to her room.

Aisha, who still hadn't released her grip on the stone tablet of the Sub Ether Space Compass, bared her teeth. "No!"

Jim hung his head. "You're wasting your time, Aisha. Just accept it, we got ripped off."

"This thing has _got_ to work!" Aisha growled. "This thing has got to work so that it can lead us to the Galactic Leyline so that Jim can wish for immortality, and…"

Jim placed a hand on her shoulder. "Aisha…"

Aisha's ears drooped.

"Look…" Jim sighed. "We both know how important it is for us to find the Leyline…but this thing isn't going to help us get there…"

Aisha's lip quivered. "Aisha has to do _something_, Jim…while Mel and her kids are meditating and you and Gene was scrounging, Aisha has to believe there's _something_ she can do to…"

There was a moment of silence as Jim kissed her.

"That's really sweet of you, Aisha…" Jim trailed off. He might have said more, but he was kissing her again.

This time, Aisha reacted. She felt her fur stand on end, and in an instant, she had him pressed against the bulkhead, her lips on fire as she devoured him. Her hands ran through his shaggy blonde hair, and he followed suit by gliding his hands down her sides until they found purchase somewhere below her back.

Aisha's mind was ablaze – Every time he did this to her, it was like she was finally alive! This was what it was supposed to feel like; this was how she was supposed to be living!

And with that realization, she pushed back, and all too soon, they had separated.

"Stop…" she whispered, desperately. "Please…"

Jim opened his eyes, staring back in confusion. "Aisha…what's wrong?"

Aisha stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can't, I…please…I can't…"

Jim ran a hand through his yellow hair. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Aisha. We're on our way to the Leyline. Everything's going to work out."

Aisha shook her head. "It's still a long way, Jim…and we don't even know if it's really there…you could still…you're not immortal _yet_ Jim…"

Jim groaned. "Aisha…you're being unreasonable. You can't live in constant fear of the person you love dying."

Aisha glared through tears. "It's easy for you to say, Jim! You don't have to live with that fear!"

Jim shook his head. "Humans fall in love with other humans all the time, they manage to make it through somehow."

Aisha sulked. "You only have to live with it for a couple decades…"

Before Aisha could push him back, Jim had locked her in a solid embrace.

"If you were to die…heaven forbid…even a human lifetime would feel like an eternity of torment…"

Aisha returned the embrace. "I'm sorry, Jim. I'm sorry…I'm just not as strong as you are…"

The young man said nothing. He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, before opening her door for her. Aisha walked the distance through the portal, and Jim smiled goodnight as he turned to go.

xxxxx

The next day, they were at it again, the guys digging through rubble, Aisha fiddling with the Sub Ether Space Compass, Suzuka standing watch, and Melfina and children doing their little séance.

As successful as their previous attempts had been, the mood was relatively somber.

"Rrrrrrrgh! I can't figure this thing out!" Aisha hollered, hurdling the Compass with all her might.

Jim watched it sail over the ruins and sighed. "Well, there goes eighty thousand wong."

Gene threw him an annoyed look. "You're still paying for it, you know."

Jim sighed. Suddenly, it didn't seem like such a big waste of time to go and try to salvage it.

Setting down his burden, he turned in the direction that Aisha had hurled it, when he saw Melfina standing up, looking in the same direction.

"Mel?" he asked, looking at her.

Without saying anything, she suddenly took off, running as fast as she could in the direction of her gaze.

"Hey, Mel!" Jim cried, following her. "Wait up!"

Jim kept calling her as he ran halfway across the ruins, before nearly running into her as she stopped. Her eyes were closed in concentration and suddenly, without warning, she dropped to her knees, hands placed on the ground in front of her.

"It's nearby…" she said, suddenly. "I can feel it."

Jim blinked. Somehow, he didn't think she was talking about their wayward compass.

Gene caught up with them, both kids in tow. "Hey, Mel…what is it?"

Mel finally looked up at her husband's words. "The Dragon's Tombstone! It's right around here!"

Gene looked around. All he saw was ruble.

"Where, Mel?" he asked. "I don't see anything."

Mel shook her head and reached for the children. "Jenna, Jace, I think we've found what we're looking for. Come here, I need your help."

Happy to see the end in sight, the kids sat down with their mother and resumed concentration.

"Hey, Suzuka," Gene said quietly into his earring comm. "I think Mel's found something. You better get over here."

No sooner had he finished, when Suzuka appeared out of nowhere, silent as a lamb. She nodded to Gene who nodded at Mel. She understood, and maintained her already mute silence. Nobody said a word as Melfina continued to prod the earth, searching for a more precise location, when suddenly…

"Found it!" Aisha suddenly screamed, barreling onto the scene. "Aisha found it!"

Melfina and the kids grimaced at the disturbance.

Suzuka sighed. "Still as loud as ever…"

Everyone else just looked at Aisha.

"The Dragon's Tombstone?" Jim asked.

Aisha blinked. "What? No, the compass."

Aisha held up the Sub Ether Space Compass, somehow still intact after its journey cross-country.

Gene just about exploded. "Aisha, for the last time, would you please-"

"Here!" Melfina suddenly shouted, standing up, the kids slowly rising with her. "It's right beneath our feet! It must have been buried under the rubble when the ruins collapsed!"

Gene and Jim exchanged glances.

"It is?" Jim blinked.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Gene shouted. "Start digging!"

Gene and Jim had lifted about a foot into the ground, when Aisha clapped the two of them on the back.

"Aisha will handle this one…" she grinned.

Jim smirked. "What happened to ladies not being subjected to manual labor?"

Aisha stuck her tongue out. "It's a whole different story when there's something to shoot for. Now stand back you guys – I don't want any of you getting hurt."

Gene just sort of stared. "Huh?"

Jim, remembering how she managed to level a mountain in a single afternoon, grabbed him and ran.

"Just get clear, Gene…"

Melfina, Suzuka, and the kids all followed suit in time to witness Aisha veritably demolish the entirety of the bedrock beneath their feet. Rocks and rubble flew everywhere, and Gene instinctively covered Melfina and the kids, making a face.

"Aisha!" he shouted. "Could you cool it? You'll destroy whatever it is that's down there!"

No sooner had she begun, than the flying rocks and debris stopped flying.

"Nya…sorry…" Aisha grinned, sheepishly.

Gene was about to voice his discontent, before Jim stepped up to her, patting her on the back.

"Thanks, Aisha, that was a big help."

The cat girl smiled, lividly. "Nyao!"

Gene just sighed, unable to say anything harsh to that adorable picture. Instead, he checked on the kids.

"You guys okay?"

Jenna looked shaken. "I guess so…

Jace looked elated. "Do that again!"

Gene grinned. "Guess Aisha's good for a thing or two, right Mel? Mel?"

Gene looked around and saw Mel standing at the epicenter of the makeshift crater that Aisha had thus far constructed with her bare hands.

Gene stepped up to her, taking her by the shoulders. "Mel…what…oh…"

At the very center of the pit was an altar of sorts. Looking like it had been melded out of solid rock, the stone mount rose about five feet out of the ground, embroidered with ancient writing. And floating atop the altar was an identically colored stone cube about four inches square.

"Is that…?" Gene mouthed.

"The Dragon's Tombstone…" Mel whispered. "The Keystone of the Leyline."

Everyone stood aghast. No one dared approach it. Finally, Gene and Mel stepped up to it, hand in hand. Gingerly, they both took hold of the stone cube, before pulling it from its floating place atop the altar.

Everyone took a deep breath.

"So…what does it do?"

Gene never got an answer, because right at that moment, the stone altar crumbled into a million pieces, as did the foundation beneath it. Throwing Melfina back and leaping back himself, Gene barely clear the sudden drop that appeared where the altar had been.

Getting back to his feet, Gene peered down the newly formed hole in the ground. He then spun around and fixed his crew with a look of urgency.

"Back to the ship!" he shouted. "Get back to the ship!"

Suzuka and Aisha grabbed Jenna and Jace, before taking off at full gallop. Gene and Melfina ran, hand in hand as the ground began to quake.

"What did you see down there, Gene?" Jim urged, keeping pace with his partner.

"No time!" he shouted. "Just run!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a sudden explosion knocked them all to their feet. Looking back, an enormous white plume of energy had erupted from the hole they had left behind. As they watch the plume began to meld and take a shape. A split second later, everyone got back to their feet and redoubled their speed.

"Run!" Gene cried.

Hot on their tails was a giant glowing white dragon, long and serpentine, and looking and sounding very, very angry at having been disturbed. The Ancient Dragon roared into the heavens, before taking off after its prey.

Gene chanced a glance behind. It was almost on top of them! He stood before his wife, determined to protect her, when out of the blue, a castor blast hit the Ancient Dragon square in the face.

The dragon recoiled, letting out a roar that shook the air. Gene looked up and saw Jim, his castor smoking in his hands.

"Get Mel to the ship!" he commanded, fitting his castor with another shell.

Gene helped Melfina to her feet. "There's no way you're gonna be able to beat that thing on your own, Jim!"

Jim aimed another shot at the Ancient Dragon. "Well, once you get Mel to safety, you can come back and help me, but right now, your family comes first!"

Gene swore as Melfina stumbled, her ankle twisted. Hoisting her into his arms, he glared. "Damn it, Jim, you're part of my family too!"

Jim smiled, weakly. "And I'm willing to do whatever I can to protect that family! You've got to the do the same, Gene!"

Gene hesitated, torn between his partner about to face a dragon god, and his wife wincing in pain in his arms. Swearing again, Gene took off for the ship.

"I'll be back, Jim!"

Jim sighed, watching his partner leave. When he was out of earshot, he smacked his forehead.

"Damn it, Jim!" he growled at himself. "You stupid idiot! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

He looked up at the looming white dragon, preparing for another attack. Bearing his teeth, Jim tried his hardest to look tough at the beast.

"Don't get your hopes up, you big lizard!" he shouted. "I've got someone who's waiting for me! It's still too early for me to die, you hear me!"

xxxxx

Gene was giving orders to take off before he'd even grabbed onto the lift ladder.

"Where's Jim?" Gilliam asked when he finally boarded.

"Where's Jim!" Aisha repeated the question more fervorently.

"We're going to go pick him up," Gene said, dismissingly. "Gilliam, get us off the ground, already! Jim's not gonna last long against that thing!"

"You left him to fight _alone_!" Aisha demanded.

"It was the only way, Aisha!" Gene said, climbing into the captain's chair.

"Gene," Gilliam said. "How do you plan to pick him up in mid flight? This ship wasn't designed for something like that."

Gene gapped. "What? You mean we can't just grab him!"

"Well, there are always the grappler arms, but-"

"Then we'll use them!"

"But Gene…" Gilliam sighed. "The grappler arms weren't designed for that either, especially not while in mid flight. We would undoubtedly crush Jim."

Aisha looked desperate. "Jim…"

Gene pondered. "What if we had someone already in the grappler arms? They could just grab Jim themselves and hoisted him off the ground. That wouldn't require any finesse."

"I suppose that could work," Gilliam ceded. "But in order to maintain a grip of someone, the arms would still be using a crushing bit of force."

"Then let me go," Aisha demanded. "If anyone can survive being held by a grappler arm, it's me."

Gene nodded. "Do it. Jenna, I want you on this one – you're better when it comes to finesse. No need to injure Aisha any more than we have to."

Jenna nodded. "Got it."

Jace tugged on his father sleeve. "But Dad! I want to help rescue Uncle Jim too!"

Gene winked. "You will, son. While Jenna's busy picking him up, I'm gonna need you to fend off that dragon for us, okay?"

Jace's face lit up. "Roger!"

xxxxx

Jim let loose another castor shell into the beast. The energy absorbed into the Ancient Dragon's glowing white body, shimmered in a rainbow of colors, and sent its whole body reeling. The shots weren't really doing anything more than make it angry. Jim was starting to run out of bullets. And he was out of breath from running to keep his distance.

The dragon let loose a mighty roar as its body buckled under another blast and Jim took his chance to distance himself from the enormous beast. His legs were starting to grow numb and his body felt like his veins were pumping battery acid. He turned around, and the dragon was already hot on his tail once again.

"Gene…" he breathed. "If you're planning on coming back, now would be a very good time…"

He raised his Castor to fire again, when he was suddenly swallowed up by an enormous shadow. He looked up, and there was the Outlaw Star, moving as slowly as it could. In its left grappler arm was its shot gun out, which aimed and fired, putting round after round into the dragon, driving it back, as the ship positioned itself between Jim and the beast.

And in the right arm was…

"Aisha!"

In the grip of the XGP's right hand was the C'tarl-C'tarl of the crew, reaching out to him. Jim got to his feet, and ran over to the peak of the small knoll made in the rock, placing him as high up as he possibly could be. Aisha and her grappler arm mount edged closer, and Jim could hear her voice roaring his name over the sound of the XGP's engines and the maddening cries of the Ancient Dragon.

He felt her powerful claws dig into his arms and hoist him off the ground and into her arms a second later. He felt the engines suddenly kick in, as the arms retracted into the pod bays beneath the ship.

The bay doors closed, and all the light suddenly choked out, as the grip of the grappler arm released, and he and Aisha went tumbling to the floor of the pod bays.

Jim tried to get up, but Aisha was clinging to him like she was never going to let go.

"Oh, Jim…" Aisha sobbed, holding him as tightly as she dared. "I was so sure that I was going to lose you."

Jim returned her embrace, happy to be welcomed into those warming arms.

"It's alright, Aisha," he said, soothingly, stroking her back. "I'm home."

xxxxx

The Outlaw Star left the planet's orbit and disappeared into sub ether space. After the kids had gone to bed, the crew was all gathered in the galley to inspect their latest findings.

"Certainly a lot of trouble over this little thing," Jim pondered, looking the stone cube over. He had scanned it with the ship's computer and deduced nothing, save that it was made of five hundred sixty-eight trillion year old sandstone, and was precisely 3.98 inches square.

"I still haven't figured out what it's supposed to do," Melfina admitted. "But I feel a very strong connection to it. As soon as we lifted it from the stone altar at the Dragon's Tomb, I felt the life force behind the entire planet just…vanish. Whatever this is, it was very important to the Ancient Civilization and played a crucial role in the design of the Leyline."

Gene snapped his fingers. "Of course! That's it! Look at it, Mel – doesn't this look familiar? The way it's scribbled over in ancient writing, it looks exactly like that ark that we landed the ship on in the Leyline! Remember, when we were flying in through that storm cloud?"

Melfina nodded. "I do remember something like that…but it was rectangular. This is square."

Gene shrugged. "I'm just saying, I think we've got something here."

Jim grumbled. "Well, obviously we've got something, the question is, will it help us?"

Suzuka eyed the tombstone questioningly. "Maybe we should contact someone who can place it. Fred Luo perhaps?"

Gene gave a half grin. "You sure you're not just planning on another hit?"

Suzuka sighed. "Gene, you know I work for Starwind and Hawking now, any bounties I take up would be through you."

"Hey," Aisha interrupted. "Can Aisha have a look."

Jim handed it to her. "As long as you promise not to eat it."

Aisha didn't laugh. Instead, she inspected its every angle, before grabbing the space compass she'd been lugging around with her.

Gene let out a sigh. "Aisha, for the last time-"

CHUNK

Everyone stared, aghast, as Aisha slipped the stone block right into the center of the Sub Ether Space Compass, fitting in along the grooves in the circle of space.

Aisha blinked, in as much disbelief as everyone else. "Nya-nya-nya?"

Jim grabbed the compass out of her hands. "Aisha! You did it! _That's_ how the compass is supposed to work! It needs the Dragon's Tomb to act as a keystone!"

Aisha just grinned. "Nya…I guess so, huh?"

Melfina inhaled. "Of course! Why didn't I think of this before!"

Gene stared hard at the compass. "Uh…I hate to ruin the moment, but…it's not doing anything."

The whole crew fixated its gaze on the stone contraption. It wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary.

Suzuka was the first to sit back down. "Perhaps it's a mock up designed after the original. The components would all still fit, but it wouldn't perform the same function."

Jim slouched in his chair, dark circles visible under his eyes. "Oh man…I was so sure we had it, too!"

Aisha shoved the tablet across the table, resting her elbows on the table, a look of despair on her face. Jim could practically see the last shred of hope disappear from her eyes. He was about to reach over and stroke her fur, when a tired voice called out from outside the galley.

"What's going on in here?"

Everyone looked up to see Jace, wandering into the galley to get a glass of water.

"Oh…hi Jace…" Melfina said, masking her gloominess perfectly. "We're just trying to figure out where to go next."

Jace nodded, yawning, his eyes gravitating to the stone compass. "Oh…what's that?"

Jim heaved. "This? A cheap knockoff. What's it look like?"

Jace shrugged. "Oh. I thought it looked like a sub Ether Space Compass."

That earned Jace a couple of stares.

"Jace, you know what this is?" Gene asked.

Jace shrugged. "We learned about them in Gilliam's history class. It was invented by the Ancient Civilization before they had things like computers. With it, they could navigate across the galaxy."

Suzuka nodded. "I see. Whoever made this must have _really_ known what they were doing."

Jim sighed. "Yeah…I _really_ got my money's worth on this thing…"

Jace blinked. "Oh…so it's fake?"

Aisha pouted. "Yeah. It doesn't work."

Jace almost laughed. "Well of course it doesn't work, it doesn't have a monopole."

Dead silence.

"You mean…this thing might actually work!" Gene exclaimed, grabbing the compass in his hands.

Jace took a look at it. "I think so… See, the compasses are just stone tablets, sort of like baguas in Feng Shui. There's nothing special about them, they just hinge a certain way. Anyone could make one. What matters is that it has something to act as a keystone…" his fingers touched the Dragon's Tombstone "…To give it the right coordinates, and a monopole…" he touched a small triangular notch above the keystone that was just about the size of a monopole "…To give it magnetic properties – essentially, to give it power."

Everyone in the room was silent as the grave.

"Gene…" Jim smiled. "You don't happen to have that old monopole that Gwen Khan gave you, do you?"

Gene grinned, reaching into his back pocket. "As luck would have it…"

Suzuka blinked. "You actually keep it _on_ you?"

Gene smiled, offering it to Jace. "Sure, it's been my good luck charm for seven years now. I'm never on a planet as magnetically charged as that gravity prison, so it's not like I'm risking being sucked into the air or anything. Give it a whirl, Jace!"

Jace took the monopole and wedged it into the notch.

The space compass began to turn and swivel, just like a Feng Shui bagua.

Gene was practically beaming. "Mel, get this kid a dish of ice cream! Jace, you are a _genius_!"

Jace grinned. Jim and Aisha embraced.

It was Suzuka, however, who's attention was still on the compass.

"How exactly are we supposed to read this?"

Everyone paused. Melfina, busy with Jace's bowl of ice cream paused in mid scoop.

"Huh?" Gene blinked.

Suzuka pointed at the arrow made by the monopole. "It's pointing in _that_ general direction. That's not exactly precise coordinates. This technology may be advanced, but it's still so different from ours. Gilliam's not going to be able to transfer this into readable data." She pointed where the arrow was pointing. "What are we supposed to do, say "go that way?"

Melfina finished scooping ice cream and placed the dish in front of Jace (Aisha giving him a jealous look) and took the stone tablet in her arms.

"You just leave that part to me," she winked.

Curious, Gene and the others followed her out of the galley and into the cockpit. Without further ado, she slipped into her Navi-Tube.

Immersed in bioelectric fluid and slowly establishing a connection with the ship, Melfina turned her attention on the stone tablet.

"Tell me your secrets…" she murmured, prodding the device.

The compass's patterns were alien and elusive, but she was still able to deduce its purpose. The stone tablet seemed to transform into a ray of light that shone off into the distance.

Melfina smiled. "That's it…"

xxxxx

"We have our heading, Gene," Gilliam said, proudly.

"_Fantastic_!" Gene exclaimed. "Get us moving, Gilliam!"

Melfina wiped her son's face of ice cream. "We're so proud of you, Jace…"

Aisha wrapped her arms around Jim. "We've found it, Jim! We're going to the Leyline! Can you believe it!"

Jim, ever the pessimist, was still bent up over something.

"So you mean to tell me that I paid eight hundred thousand wong for something I could have gotten at any Feng Shui boutique!"

Aisha pointed at the compass. "Well, this thing _does_ have those fancy dragon patterns."

Gene threw a shifty glance at Jim. "You're still paying for it, Jim."

Jim scowled. "I want you to know that I just blew about a hundred thousand wong's worth of castor shells out there, trying to save _your_ ass, Gene!"

Gene shrugged. "Alright, alright, I'll deduct a hundred grand from your bill."

Jim threw his hands up in the air. "Fine. I'll pay you back in a few hundred years!"

Gene's face softened up. "Heh…I guess I can afford to wait that long now, huh?"

Jim began laughing. Gene laughed right along with him. Aisha and Melfina joined too, each of them embracing their respective lovers. Even Suzuka got in a good chuckle. Everything just seemed to be falling into place, and they couldn't help but laugh in retrospect. The end was so close now, they could almost touch it.

"Well, it's time we let this little hero get some sleep," Melfina said, taking Jace into her arms.

Gene rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, it's certainly been a long day."

Jim yawned. "You're one to talk. You didn't have to fight off an enormous Dragon God."

Aisha put Jim in a headlock. "I still haven't forgiven you for that! What did you think you were doing, putting yourself in danger like that!"

Jim winked, weakly. "Just looking out for you, Aisha."

Aisha gave him an animalistic grin, before kissing him full on the mouth.

"You just stay alive till we reach the Leyline," she said seductively, as she parted with him. "Then we'll see who's looking after who."

Jim blinked, watching her slink off down the hall.

Gene elbowed him playfully. "You gonna let her just walk away like that?"

Jim started, before taking off down the hall.

Gene chuckled. "Honestly, the kid would forget his own head without me."

xxxxx

Aboard their brand new golden grappler ship Utopia, the two brothers stalked their prey.

"They've finished whatever business they had at the Dragon's Tomb," Ron noted, watching the small red blip on the screen move away from the planet.

"I wonder what they were doing…" Harry said, lazily, as he toyed with a program on his computer.

"Probably looking around for the same thing we were," Ron shrugged.

"Think they more luck than we did?" Harry said, closing down his screen and hopping into his Navi-Tube.

Ron shrugged. "Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. If they did, then they could be going to the Leyline right now. If not, then we'll continue to follow them until they do."

Harry smiled as his Navi-Tube slithered open to reveal him in his plug suit, a sick grin on his face. "And then, we'll finally have them. Gene Starwind, dead…oh, I've been waiting so long for that to be a reality, brother!"

"Patience, Harry," Ron cooed. "It'll happen soon enough."

Harry shook in his chair. "It can't possibly happen too soon…"

xxxxx

A tiny white sliver in space, the Ancient Dragon rose from its rocky tomb, drawn to its one source of solace. Robbed of its keystone and its peace, the angry god drifted through the blackness of space in pursuit of the ones who stole its tombstone and disturbed its slumber. It would follow them to the ends of the universe. It would never rest until it found its prey…

xxxxx

A/N: Yes, I'm leaving it off here. Again, sorry this took so long. It took me a while to figure out what to do with this, plot-wise. But I think I see the end in site. Hope to finish by the next chapter.

Thanks for reading!


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